![]() The choice of leader will set the tone for the future of a party that has dominated German politics since the post-World War II federal republic was founded in 1949. One, Friedrich Merz, is a former Merkel rival who recently described her fourth government as "abysmal", while young Health Minister Jens Spahn is a rising party star.įacing them are two more moderate candidates: North Rhine-Westphalia state premier Armin Laschet and Norbert Roettgen, a former environment minister who Merkel had dismissed. READ ALSO: From 'avenger' to 'anti-Merkel': Who could be Germany's next chancellor? In the starting blocks are two politicians who promise to break with her centrist course and lead the CDU rightwards, to win back voters from AfD. "How can Angela Merkel be got rid of" to clear the way, top-selling daily Bild asked. It was the latest sign that the defence minister had failed to stamp her authority on the CDU and become a credible candidate to succeed Merkel.ĪKK initially planned a quick departure, hoping to elevate a successor who would also lead the party into the 2021 election.īut her own example shows how difficult it is for a party chief to make their mark while the phenomenally popular Merkel remains in office. Regional lawmakers in the eastern state of Thuringia had defied an edict from Berlin not to ally with the extremes, by voting with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). It is also engulfed in an internal debate as to how it should position itself against the extremes of right and left that have reshaped the nation's political landscape.ĪKK launched the race to succeed Merkel after barely a year as head of the party, by announcing her resignation on February 10th. On Sunday, the party suffered its second-worst result ever in a regional election, coming third in Hamburg with just 11.5 percent of the vote. Kramp-Karrenbauer - widely known as "AKK" - held talks with party grandees on Monday with the CDU still in crisis mode. The Christian Democratic Union's extraordinary party congress in spring should anoint a new chairman, who would then be almost sure to become the party's candidate for chancellor. The surprise move threw open the race to succeed Merkel, who has been in power for more than 14 years and plans to bow out at the next general elections in 2021. Merkel's initial heir apparent, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, resigned as party leader this month over a scandal involving apparent cooperation with the far right. ![]()
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