FILE  In this file photo dated Wednesday, February 10, 2021, German Chancellor Angela Merkel left, with Bavarian state governor Markus Soeder, during a press conference at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany. The 54-year-old Soeder is struggling to win enough support across the political spectrum in the hope of succeeding Angela Merkel as chancellor of Germany in autumn 2021.
FILE – In this file photo dated Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, with Bavarian state governor Markus Soeder, during a news conference at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany. The 54-year-old Soeder is fighting to win enough backing across the political spectrum in hope of succeeding Angela Merkel as chancellor of Germany in Autumn 2021. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, FILE)