Chancellor Angela Merkel’s anointed successor, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, said on Monday that she would quit as party leader and no longer seek the country’s top position, adding to the political uncertainty in Europe’s most important democracy.

The announcement followed five days of political turmoil, in which the local chapter of the Christian Democratic Union in the eastern state of Thuringia voted for the same candidate as the far-Right Alternative for Germany, prompting a national outcry.

The move came in defiance of a direct order from Kramp-Karrenbauer, who as party leader had given clear instructions not to collaborate with the Alternative for Germany at any level.

Kramp-Karrenbauer, who is also defence minister, was chosen as leader of Merkel’s conservative party in December 2018 and had been widely expected to succeed her as chancellor because the two roles traditionally go hand in hand in Germany. She will remain as party leader until the summer.

But since becoming the party leader, Kramp-Karrenbauer had steadily lost support in opinion polls. The upheaval in Thuringia showed how far her authority had eroded, and the decision throws the race to succeed Merkel as chancellor wide open again.