Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer after her chequered interlude at the helm of the party. But whoever is elected as CDU leader moves into pole position to becoming German chancellor, if the CDU/CSU again emerges as the strongest political party after September's vote. After Merkel stepped down as the chair of the CDU in 2018, she was replaced by Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. You can find more information in our data protection declaration. The CDU is scheduled to hold an election this month to decide the next party chairperson, a position that had fallen vacant since current Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer resigned in February 2020. Mrs Merkel, who has been German Chancellor since 2005, has pledged to step down this year, marking the end of an era – and leaving a significant gap to fill. As anti-immigrant sentiment has grown in Germany, the AfD has become increasingly popular. A digital conference of 1,001 delegates will elect the new … It is widely assumed that broadly speaking Laschet stands for more of the same: more "Merkelism". Or rather the political battles as the country faces several elections — and the task to replace Chancellor Angela Merkel. It wasn’t an anti-immigrant party.”. You can unsubscribe at any time. And among the general voting public in Germany, Röttgen actually seems to be pulling away from Laschet. She has […] AKK was supposed to be Merkel’s successor, who would bring her centrist legacy and vision into the next decade of German politics. When Merkel accepted 1 million mostly-Syrian refugees in 2015, however, the AfD shifted its focus, adopting an anti-immigrant and anti-Islam platform. Alert: German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party has chosen Armin Laschet as its new leader Published 4:31 am CST, Saturday, January 16, 2021 Many saw the incident as a sign that AKK was losing control over her party. Laschet is the only one of the three currently in a front-line government office. AKK’s resignation has shed light on a changing political landscape in Germany, where radical parties are increasingly gaining traction in a country where for years, centrist coalitions have held power. Please attempt to sign up again. This time around, he is again pushing for a major shake-up within the CDU. According to Uwe Jun, a political scientist at the University of Trier: "Merz above all stands for the recognizability of the party, Laschet for centrist electability, Röttgen for renewal. Her decision to step down came after a controversial local election on Feb. 6 that led members of her party in the tiny eastern state of Thuringia to elect—against her wishes—to work with the Alternative for Deutschland (AfD), a far-right, anti-immigrant and anti-Islam party. At the time, Merkel advocated for bailing out Greece, maintaining that there was no other alternative. Merkel's preferred candidate for the party leadership, Annegret AKK’s tenure as party leader, however, has not gone as well as expected. AKK, who currently serves the Minister of Defense, became the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) at the end of 2018. Backstory: Röttgen served as German environment minister from 2009 until 2012, when he was fired by Merkel after his unsuccessful bid to become premier of North Rhine-Westphalia. Merz has never had a government post. “The question isn’t ‘can we go into a coalition with them but how can we cooperate with them’,” Kundnani says. By the time the vote takes place, Chancellor Angela Merkel will likely have served 16 years in office as head of the German government. We use cookies to improve our service for you. The new CDU leader will be elected by 1,001 delegates at a digital congress, with four potential candidate: Armin Laschet, Friedrich Merz, Norbert Roettgen and Jens Spahn. Privacy Policy | Three men on a mission: Norbert Röttgen, Armin Laschet, Friedrich Merz all want to lead the CDU. In the 2019 European Parliament elections, the Greens—who are pro-Europe and pro-immigrant—had a groundbreaking surge, gaining the second largest number of votes in Germany. Merkel denounced the alliance, calling it “unforgivable.” She said that “you don’t win majorities with the help of Alternative für Deutschland,” calling it a “fundamental conviction” of hers and the CDU. It was widely speculated that AKK—sometimes nicknamed “mini-Merkel“—would become Germany’s next Chancellor in the 2021 elections. “I will not be seeking any political post after my term ends,” she told a news conference in Berlin. © 2021 Deutsche Welle | All see themselves as centrist politicians, firmly rooted in the middle ground of German politics. He has already called on the party to step out of Angela Merkel's shadow. But, he adds: "We won't be elected on September 26 out of gratitude for what we've achieved in the past but on the basis of expectations and hopes for the future. After all, none of the three candidates is ahead in national polls on who German voters as a whole want to see as their new chancellor. Getty—Kay Nietfeld, Read Donald Trump's Full Inauguration Speech, How mRNA Tech Gave Us the 1st COVID-19 Vaccines. All three contenders must somehow distinguish themselves from their rivals while boldly campaigning for continuity. And for his part, Röttgen was spectacularly ousted from office as Germany's environment minister back in 2012 by none other than Angela Merkel. She also said she would not seek re-election as leader of the centre-right CDU party in December. Is it renewal? The Greens used their latest party conference to debate and approve a new manifesto making clear that they see themselves as a party of government. In the many crises during her long term in office, she has been seen by many as solid as a rock — be it during what was described as the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression or the current coronavirus pandemic. Spahn is playing his cards cautiously but has not ruled out putting his hat in the ring as a potential candidate for Germany's highest office. It marked a violation of CDU policy. It’s been a shaky week in German politics after Chancellor Angela Merkel’s handpicked successor Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (also known as AKK), resigned as leader of the Christian Democrat Union (CDU) on Monday. Amid periods of economic turbulence, Merkel has also managed to keep Germany’s economy afloat, making it one of the strongest economies in Europe. He's clocking 55% in the polls and an astonishing 80% among conservative voters across the country. “The battle that is now being played out is how far back to the right the CDU should move.”. It does not stop there, because Merz, Laschet, and Röttgen also share a deep-seated concern that their Christian Democrat party is struggling to face crucial new challenges posed by a rapidly-changing society. Germany's Christian Democrats are poised to choose a new party leader, and that person is almost certain to replace Chancellor Angela Merkel when she steps down in September 2021. particularly on social issues such as gay marriage, political landscape in Germany is likely to grow more fragmented, growing sway of the AfD in German politics, A Far Right Scandal Pushed Merkel's Successor to Resign. Each is hoping to replace the luckless Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer after her chequered interlude at the helm of the party. An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. ANI 16th January 2021, 17:18 GMT+11 Berlin [Germany], January 16 (ANI): The ruling conservative Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) will elect a new chairman on Saturday who they hope can succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor when she steps down after federal elections in September this year. A digital conference of 1,001 delegates will elect the new leader of the ruling conservative CDU this weekend. Legal notice | ", Send Facebook Twitter reddit EMail Facebook Messenger Web Whatsapp Web Telegram linkedin. All three candidates are promising to speed up the process of digitalization in Germany and step up measures to combat climate change while, at the same time, making sure that the economy remains robust. Experts say the incident in Thuringia reflects the growing sway of the AfD in German politics and also sheds light on the diminishing power of centrist coalitions in Germany. CDU Party election . Jens Thurau takes a closer look at what this shift means. Here is why AKK’s resignation matters and what it means for Germany moving forward. Throughout her tenure, Merkel has positioned Germany as an important leader within the European Union as well as on the international stage. Dec 11, 2020 Josef Joffe. The latter vote will determine Chancellor Angela Merkel’s successor as party leader, and that person will then be in a strong position to become the next chancellor. It is all relative, he says, and it all depends on where you stand: "The CDU has always seen itself as an election-winning party of government. She has served as Chancellor for more than 14 years. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. After Germany’s recent state government elections in Hesse, in which the party of German Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered double-digit losses, German media proclaimed the results amounted to a Denkzettel for Merkel. BERLIN — Germany’s largest political party will choose a new leader on Saturday, with the winner well positioned to succeed Angela Merkel as the next chancellor of Europe’s leading economy.Regardle… They married in 1998. Who will replace Angela Merkel? “There is too much consensus which in turn produces these extremist movements because it pushes political opposition to the extremes.”, Kundnani argues that the rise of anti-establishment movements on the right and left may give voters more choice. Germany’s Merkel: Trump’s Twitter eviction ‘problematic’ January 11, 2021 GMT FILE - In this Dec. 30, 2020 file photo German Chancellor Angela Merkel poses for photographs after the television recording of her annual New Year's speech at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany. AKK is also more conservative than Merkel, particularly on social issues such as gay marriage, which has tempered Merkel’s willingness to support her. AKK’s resignation, as well as the CDU’s decision to cooperate with the AfD in Thuringia, has exposed weak spots in the party, sparking questions about how the CDU should navigate an increasingly polarized political landscape. Another potential candidate waiting in the wings does not even belong to the CDU: Markus Söder is the state premier of Bavaria and head of the CSU, the Bavarian sister party of the CDU. The CDU has struggled to gain support in state elections, where parties on the right and left have swayed voters. Please try again later. They are all at pains to draw a line between themselves and both the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on the one side and the Left party on the other side of the poltical spectrum. Merz concedes that the chancellor's calm and steady handling of the coronavirus crisis has boosted the CDU's standing in the polls. While the CDU grapples with how to deal with the AfD, the party is also losing votes to the leftist Green party. All Rights Reserved. Kundnani, however, argues that centrist parties losing power may ultimately be good for German democracy. The CDU has struggled to gain support in state election… Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our. It also raises concerns about who will fill Merkel’s shoes when she steps down in October and whether a power vacuum will form in her absence. His mantra so far has been "my place is in Bavaria." German voters go to the polls this fall in national parliamentary elections of momentous proportions. That makes it unclear how the CDU should position itself on the German political spectrum. "If we want to have any chance of remaining a broad-based big-tent party," says Laschet, "then we must win the backing of immigrant communities.". BERLIN (BLOOMBERG) - German Health Minister Jens Spahn is considering a run to take over from Dr Angela Merkel as chancellor, as competition to succeed her after September's election heats up. The fight against the coronavirus pandemic? This article has been translated from German. German Chancellor Angela Merkel Getty Images. She served as the leader of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 2000 to 2018. Contact Three candidates are vying to be elected as the next CDU chairman: former party whip Friedrich Merz, the state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, Armin Laschet, and Norbert Röttgen, head of the Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee. Uwe Jun believes it would be wrong to simplify. Merz narrowly lost out to Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in an earlier vote, two years ago, when delegates decided who would replace Angela Merkel at the head of the party. Rarely has the cliché rung so true: whoever succeeds Frau Merkel will be stepping into some very big shoes. support for the chancellor during the refugee crisis. ", But what is it that the party most needs? In 2018 Health Minister Jens Spahn (l) ran for party leader against Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Friedrich Merz. In a line-up of world leaders, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is inescapably the odd one out. Within the CDU, there’s a split on whether the party should be moving back to the right and if so, whether they should be doing it on economic or cultural issues. Currently, Friedrich Merz appears to have taken the lead. Observers are quick to point to his seemingly unquestioning support for the chancellor during the refugee crisis and his backing for her efforts to shift the party further to the left of the political spectrum. Chancellor Merkel has been in power for the past sixteen years, and leaves a legacy of leading the largest economy within the European Union’s member states. The successful candidate might replace Chancellor Angela Merkel after elections this fall. Which explains why all three candidates are focusing on persuading more young voters, more women, and more people from Germany's immigrant communities to join party ranks. Health Minister Jens Spahn still officially supports Laschet's candidacy and has teamed up with him as his deputy. German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right party on Saturday chose Armin Laschet, the pragmatic governor of Germany’s most populous state, as … It has been widely noted that the three candidates have a lot in common: all are family men, they are Catholic, and hail from North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), the most populous of Germany's 16 federal states. What will define Germany in 2021? Germany's largest political party — the chancellor's Christian Democrats — are set to elect a new chairman – and it will definitely be a man. Merkel is currently married to Joachim Sauer, a quantum chemist. GERMANY, January 12, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticized Twitter for shutting down President Trump’s … Or is it more Merkel, without Merkel? The AfD was founded in 2013 by economic conservatives, initially in response to the eurozone economic crisis. Read: German Chancellor Merkel Thanks German People For Virus Sacrifices. A digital conference of 1,001 delegates will elect the new leader of the ruling conservative CDU this weekend. The fact is: whoever wins Saturday's vote, still has a long way to go to become the next German leader. AKK’s tenure as party leader, however, has not gone as well as expected. If that is the yardstick, then Laschet represents the least risk.". Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, a staunchly Catholic conservative career politician, has been elected as the successor to Angela Merkel as leader of Germany’s Christian Democrats. BERLIN — Germany’s largest political party will choose a new leader on Saturday, with the winner well positioned to succeed Angela Merkel as the next chancellor … By signing up you are agreeing to our, Chancellor Merkel's Party to Decide on New Leader, Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know now on politics, health and more, © 2021 TIME USA, LLC. "Are we representative of society as a whole?" And we must once again step up," Röttgen told party officials. “I think part of the reason she fell is because she just wasn’t very popular,” says Hans Kundnani, author of The Paradox of German Power, and a senior research fellow at Chatham House. While the candidates undoubtedly have much in common, there are significant differences. While Merkel’s decision to open Germany’s doors to refugees in 2015 was lauded internationally, where Merkel was seen as a human rights champion, the decision led to significant backlash domestically. Merkel, now 66, has been a mainstay of politics dominating Germany, and often the European Union (EU), since 2005. Armin Laschet, for instance, styles himself as a proponent of social justice, but also of law and order. | Mobile version. House Dems introduce article of impeachment against Trump Norbert Röttgen, a high-profile foreign policy specialist, wants Germany to take on more responsibility both in Europe and further afield: "We are the international party, the European party, the trans-Atlantic party. By the end of the year, Germany’s political leadership – and perhaps its broader political landscape – will be completely different than it is today. Merkel has recently elevated both to prominent political roles, putting them at the front of the pack in the race to succeed her as leader of the Union, Germany’s dominant political force, which the chancellor has steered for nearly two decades. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's party is choosing a new leader this weekend, a decision which will have huge implications for the upcoming federal elections later this year. AKK, who currently serves the Minister of Defense, became the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) at the end of 2018. In 2018, she resigned as the leader of the CDU and announced that she would not run in the next election. The 40-year-old is younger and openly gay, a profile that could help the CDU to forge a new and more inclusive image for the party. Laschet is the only one of the three currently in a front-line government office. “At that time, it was about economics. Facebook last week banned Trump until after he leaves office on Jan. 20. EMBARGO - UNTIL DEC. 31 00:00 A.M. CET - FREE FOR THURSDAY DEC. 31, 2020 NEWSPAPERS - German Chancellor Angela Merkel poses for photographs after the television recording of her annual New Year's speech at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany… “Since Merkel came to power in 2005, the problem hasn’t been too much polarization—which is what you have in the U.S.—but not enough,” he says. But her party is in the box seat for next … Rather than leave politics, Röttgen — who has also held a seat in the Bundestag since 1994 — began focusing on foreign policy. With the two anti-establishment parties growing in popularity, the political landscape in Germany is likely to grow more fragmented. Angela Dorothea Merkel is a German politician serving as Chancellor of Germany since 2005. “They were looking for an alternative.”. No surprise, therefore, that Merkel has let it be known that Laschet is her preferred candidate. Polls put him at around 30% with Röttgen and Laschet both trailing at around 25% of CDU voters. ... Read Next. He adds, “there is quite a positive scenario here which is that you go back to something like left-right politics in Germany again with genuine alternatives between the center-right and the center-left.”, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (r, CDU), Federal Minister of Defence and CDU Federal Chairwoman, are talking at the beginning of the session of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the German Bundestag. Germany’s Angela Merkel has said she will step down as chancellor in 2021, following recent election setbacks. But the issue of who has the most experience in elected office does not appear to be either playing out in Laschet's favor or significantly damaging the prospects of the others. “The AfD came along and said: there is an alternative we are that alternative,” Kundnani said. Whoever wins the race will also be the odds-on favorite to become Germany’s next chancellor. Norbert Laschet recently asked CDU members: "The answer is: no!" 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