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Merkel: I won't interfere in search for next leader of my party

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin meet in Berlin

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that she would not interfere in the search for the next leader of her Christian Democrats (CDU) after the incumbent, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, said she would step down.

"I said I won't interfere in the issue of who will lead the CDU in future or be the candidate for chancellor," Merkel told a news conference.

Last week, Kramp-Karrenbauer said she would give up the party chair as well as her ambitions of running for chancellor, as she believed one person should do both.

(Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Paul Carrel)