the guardian: Jens Spahn: the man who could replace Merkel as chancellor

Over the 11 years that Angela Merkel has been at the top of German politics, steering her country through global financial crashes, European debt crises and the aftershocks of wars in the Middle East, she has been able to rely on one constant: the loyalty of her party. If Merkel’s reign has looked so solid, it has partly been because the Christian Democrat leader hasn’t had to see off challenges from within her own ranks. [more...]