After Merkel: German politics
The battle for the soul of the Christian Democratic Union, Germany’s largest political party, is under way.
Tonight the three main candidates to replace Angela Merkel, who will stand down as CDU leader next month, will make their respective cases to the party faithful at a gathering in Lübeck, in Germany’s north.
Their differences suggest a genuine contest: Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Mrs Merkel’s presumed favourite, promises continuity; Friedrich Merz, a former CDU heavyweight who has been out of politics for a decade, appeals to the party’s pro-business right; and Jens Spahn, the young health minister, made his name opposing Mrs Merkel’s immigration policy.
Seven more hustings follow before the party convenes in Hamburg next month to choose the new chief, who will probably lead the CDU into the next federal election.
This could come sooner than expected.
Though Mrs Merkel wishes to remain as chancellor until 2021, her successor as party leader may have other ideas.
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