Armin Laschet elected leader of Angela Merkel’s CDU party

German Chancellor, Angela Merkel's party has elected Armin Laschet as its new leader. Picture: Chris J Ratcliffe/PA Wire

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s centre-right party has elected Armin Laschet, the pragmatic governor of Germany’s most populous state, as its new leader.

The move sends a signal of continuity months before an election in which voters will decide who becomes the new chancellor.