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HAMBURG, Germany, Dec. 7-- Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was elected new chairperson of Germany's ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) at the party's 31st national congress here on Friday, succeeding Chancellor Angela Merkel who has led the party for 18 years. The 56-year-old CDU secretary general, often referred to as "AKK", received 517 votes while candidate Friedrich Merz won 482 in the second round of the election. German Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn who is also a candidate for the CDU leadership, had been disqualified in the first round of the election. It is the first time that the CDU has a new leader in 18 years since Merkel took the post in 2000. Merkel announced at the end of October that she would not seek re-election of the party leader but would remain German Chancellor till 2021. | 
