Chancellor Angela Merkel stands next to Governor Armin Laschet, right, the top CDU candidate after the German parliament elections at the Christian Democratic Union, CDU, party's headquarters in Berlin, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. German voters are choosing a new parliament in an election that will determine who succeeds Chancellor Angela Merkel after her 16 years at the helm of Europe's biggest economy. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner), APTOPIX