Germany: CDU/CSU rivals unable to break impasse on Merkel’s successor

April 19, 2021

The question of which conservative candidate will run to succeed German Chancellor Angela Merkel remained unresolved Monday, as pressure is mounting for Germany’s biggest political bloc to choose a candidate.

Armin Laschet, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and Markus Söder, leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the CDU’s Bavarian sister party, have been unable to agree who will step aside and let the other run.

Despite promises of meeting a “deadline” on Sunday, lengthy overnight talks between the candidates failed to yield any results.

Söder says he will support CDU’s choice

Bavarian premier Söder said on Monday that he would take on the candidacy if he were to receive “wide support” from the CDU.

At a snap CSU press conference in Munich, the CSU leader added that would also support a decision for Laschet, essentially leaving it up to the CDU’s leadership to decide.

“If the CDU can confidently come up with a clear decision tonight, we will respect that,” Söder said, adding that he would fully support a Laschet candidacy.

“The CDU is the stronger and bigger sister party and only they can decide if this broad majority is there or not,” Söder said.

Laschet calls snap CDU sit-down

Ahead of Söder’s press conference, Laschet told reporters that he had called a special CDU teleconference for Monday evening, where he would lay out his proposal to “solve this issue quickly.”

“I have therefore invited Markus Söder to take part in this meeting, just as I am prepared to go to the CSU board,” Laschet said.

“I hope that we can come to the necessary decisions very quickly this week,” he added.

However, Söder said during his press conference said he did not want to “interfere” with the CDU’s decision-making, and pledged he would not hold a “grudge” if the party chooses Laschet.

Why the controversy?

As CDU leader and premier of Germany’s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, Laschet, would normally be a shoe-in for the chancellor candidacy. However, the CDU’s popularity has taken a beating recently, as the federal government is under pressure over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Söder enjoys higher national poll ratings compared to Laschet, which could make him a more competitive candidate. However, Laschet has the political support of the CDU leadership.

As neither candidate has yet to back down, the debate is now focused on the possibility of an internal vote to break the deadlock. Outgoing Chancellor Merkel has said she will stay out of the competition to decide her possible successor.

wmr/dj (dpa, Reuters, AFP)

Who could succeed Angela Merkel as German chancellor?

Armin Laschet

CDU chairman Armin Laschet, a staunch supporter of Angela Merkel, heads Germany’s most populous state. Conservatives routinely underestimated the jovial 60-year-old, famous for his belief in integration and compromise. But recently, his liberal non-interventionist instincts have led to him eating his words more than once during the coronavirus crisis.

Who could succeed Angela Merkel as German chancellor?

Markus Söder

The bookmakers’ favorite: Bavaria’s 54-year-old state premier from the CDU’s more conservative Bavarian sister party, the CSU, has profited in opinion polls from his tough line in the fight against the coronavirus. “Bavaria is strong. Bavaria will grow. Bavaria is solid. Bavaria is safe… and it will stay that way,” the former journalist said at the beginning of his tenure in 2018.

Who could succeed Angela Merkel as German chancellor?

Annalena Baerbock

At the age of 40, Annalena Baerbock has been a Green Party co-chair since 2018. A jurist with a degree in public international law from the London School of Economics, her supporters see her as a safe pair of hands with a good grasp of detail. Her opponents point to her lack of governing or ministerial experience and her occasional gaffes in interviews.

Who could succeed Angela Merkel as German chancellor?

Olaf Scholz

Plumbing new depths with each election, the SPD decided to run a realist rather than a radical as their top candidate in 2021. Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, a former mayor of Hamburg, and Merkel’s deputy in the grand coalition, is seen as dry and technocratic. Many in his party say the 62-year-old is unlikely to energize party activists and win their hearts.

Author: Mark Hallam, Rina Goldenberg