Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer waves after being elected as new chairperson of Germany's ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) at the party's national congress in Hamburg, Germany, Dec. 7, 2018, succeeding chancellor Angela Merkel who led the party for 18 years. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)

HAMBURG, Germany, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was elected new chairperson of Germany's ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) at the party's 31st national congress here on Friday, succeeding Chancellor Angela Merkel who has led the party for 18 years.

The 56-year-old CDU secretary general, also known as AKK, received 517 votes while candidate Friedrich Merz won 482 in the second round of the election. German Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn who is also a candidate for the CDU leadership, had been disqualified in the first round of the election.

It is the first time that the CDU has a new leader in 18 years since Merkel took the post in 2000. Merkel announced at the end of October that she would not seek re-election of the party leader but would remain the German Chancellor till the term is due in 2021.

The leader of the CDU, the biggest party in Germany, usually becomes the candidate for the chancellorship and is likely to succeed Merkel's post as chancellor.

"I accept the election," said Kramp-Karrenbauer after the announcement of the election result. She also thanked the delegates and in particular Jens Spahn and Friedrich Merz for "this fair competition".

"This upswing needs to continue," she said, adding that the goal is to obtain from the Union with all its wings and all the common members, in a bid to form a large people's party sitting in the middle.