Field narrows in race to succeed Merkel ---------------------------------------------- Germany’s two top polling parties – the CDU/CSU* and the Greens – have announced their candidates in the contest to replace chancellor Angela Merkel in September’s federal elections ---------------------------------------------- Armin Laschet Won backing to lead Merkel’s centre-right bloc into election after standoff with CSU sister party that exposed deep divisions in CDU ---------------------------------------------- Annalena Baerbock Co-chair of Greens is making party’s first-ever bid for chancellorship. At 40, she is youngest candidate to succeed Merkel and likely to be only woman in race ---------------------------------------------- Olaf Scholz Germany’s finance minister nominated as Social Democrat candidate in 2020. Party hopes his pragmatic handling of pandemic crisis will appeal to voters ---------------------------------------------- FEDERAL ELECTION VOTING INTENTION (%) 2017 election results 30 20 10 0 2018 2019 2020 2021 Apr 19 28 21 16 CDU/CSU The Greens SPD *Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union ---------------------------------------------- © GRAPHIC NEWS Sources: Associated Press, Bloomberg, BBC, Politico Pictures: Getty Images