display

Berlin (dpa) - The deputy CDU chairman Silvia Breher sees no time pressure after the election of a new party chairman when deciding on the Union's candidacy for chancellor.

«We have a Chancellor who does a really good job.

The focus should initially be on combating the corona pandemic, "said Breher of the German Press Agency in Berlin.

"In view of the current situation, I can well imagine that it will be agreed not to decide on the candidacy for chancellor before spring," she added.


The CDU wants to determine the successor to party leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer at an online party congress on January 16 with a subsequent postal vote.

In addition to North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Armin Laschet, ex-Union parliamentary leader Friedrich Merz and foreign politician Norbert Röttgen also want to lead the CDU.

On March 14th there are state elections in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate.

If these are lost for the CDU, some in the Union fear that this could be a burden for the new CDU chairman in the federal election campaign.


display

The new CDU chairman will quickly hold talks with CSU leader Markus Söder, said Breher.

"Then you will develop a common timetable."

In surveys on the question of the candidate for chancellor, Söder is usually ahead of all three candidates for the CDU chairmanship.

When asked whether there would be enough time for the election campaign if the Union did not determine its candidate for chancellor for a few months, Breher said: “We will first elect a new chairman and will coordinate the time frame with the CSU.

We will continue working on the content and positions for the Bundestag election together with the new chairman. "

In the Bundestag election in September, the focus of interest will be on the content for which the candidate and the Union parties stand.

Breher is eagerly awaiting how the three candidates cope with the format of an online party convention.

On January 16, Merz, Laschet and Röttgen will present themselves to the 1001 delegates on their computer screens at home in about 15-minute speeches in a kind of studio.

"As a candidate you have no chance of changing the voting decision of the delegates via the mood in the hall."

The atmosphere that could arise at the face-to-face party congress, for example through applauding delegates, is missing at the digital party congress.

The candidates would have to convince purely of the content of their speeches.

“That is a very special challenge,” said Breher.

display

She expects many delegates to commit to a candidate before the party congress, said the Lower Saxony member of the Bundestag.

Individuals have already made it clear that they would make the decision at the last second based on the speeches by Laschet, Merz and Röttgen.

"Perhaps the result will be more honest, because everyone is on their own and cannot be influenced by the feeling of those sitting next to them at a presence party conference," said Breher.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210102-99-873601 / 2