Germany’s centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) nominated former European Parliament president Martin Schulz on Tuesday as their candidate to run against Angela Merkel for the post of chancellor in September’s national election, France 24 reports.
The nomination followed party leader Sigmar Gabriel’s decision to stand aside for Schulz.
Opinion polls suggest Schulz, 61, has a better chance than Gabriel - though still very small - of unseating the conservative Merkel, who has led Germany since 2005 and is Europe’s most powerful leader. Her grand coalition with the SPD has governed Germany since 2013.