FILE: Angela Merkel, German Chancellor and head of CDU Delegates from Germany's centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) will this week vote to determine Angela Merkel's successor as head of her party after 18 years at the helm, with the German chancellor's own political fate and legacy on the line. Merkel, the European Union's most powerful leader, stunned observers in October with the announcement following a state election setback that she would not stand again as chairwoman of her centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU). FILE IMAGES of Angela Merkel