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One year after her election to the presidency of the CDU, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer suffers from a deplorable image. REUTERS / Michele Tantussi

The Christian Democrat Union (CDU), the German conservative party, meets on 22 and 23 November in Leipzig. This meeting, which was expected to be unimportant a few weeks ago, could be difficult for the new president of the party on the defensive.

With our correspondent in Berlin , Pascal Thibaut

A year ago, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (AKK) was narrowly elected president of the CDU , facing her more conservative opponent Friedrich Merz. After 18 years at the head of the conservative party, Angela Merkel passed her hand and thus prepared her succession to the Chancellery, while her fourth and last term ended in 2021. AKK was two years old to prove herself and be dubbed to her candidate for the next federal election.

A year later, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer is on the defensive. Its popularity has steadily declined in recent months, both among Germans in general and sympathizers of the CDU. AT

Beyond the electoral slams, the 57-year-old Defense Minister chained gaffes that cast doubt on her legitimacy to run for Chancery: a carnival joke deemed discriminatory against the transgender community, a clumsy attack on the freedom to expression on the internet after an anti-CDU video of a YouTUBeur, a proposal to create an international security zone in northern Syria without consulting his government colleagues ...

Criticism is growing in the CDU. The unfortunate opponent of AKK a year ago, Friedrich Merz, will speak this Friday in Leipzig. His speech is highly anticipated. Other speeches and unhelpful motions for management will not be missed. Beyond that, it is the nomination contest to nominate the Conservative candidate for the Chancery in 2021 who is open.