An election to select the leader of the largest ruling party to which German Chancellor Angela Merkel belongs will be held on the 16th.


As Chancellor Angela Merkel announces her retirement from politics this fall, the battle for the position of the next prime minister is in full swing.

Merkel (66), who became prime minister in 2005, was forced to retire from the leader of the largest ruling party, the Christian Democratic Union, in 2018 due to public opposition due to the refugee acceptance policy. Has served until the end of his term and has stated that he will not run for the federal parliamentary elections scheduled for September and will retire from politics.



In the election to select a new leader,


▽ Chief Minister of Westphalia, North Rhine-Westphalia (59), who is expected to inherit the Merkel route in the middle,


▽ Mr. Merkel, a former hospital general affairs and conservative known as anti-Merkel (65),


it


▽ of Mr. detailed Retogen to foreign policy in the original environment phase (55)


has been run for three people.



The party leader election has been postponed twice due to the effects of the new coronavirus, but on the 16th, 1001 representatives from the party will vote online.



The Christian Democratic Union and its sister parties have received the highest support among the parties in the latest polls, partly because of Merkel's response to the new Coronavirus.



Under the new leader, the ruling party is set to choose a candidate for prime minister who will be the face to fight in the parliamentary elections, and the battle for the successor to Chancellor Merkel is in full swing.

What is Mr. Rachette

Armin Laschet is 59 years old.



After serving as a member of the German Parliament and the European Parliament, he has been Chief Minister of the most populous western state of North Rhine-Westphalia since 2017.



He has a lot of political experience, is known as a coordinated type that emphasizes cooperation, and emphasizes himself as a "team player".



Under Chancellor Angela Merkel, the centre-right "Christian Democratic Union" has been promoting liberal policies such as accepting tolerant refugees and accepting same-sex marriage.



Mr. Rachette is said to be close to Chancellor Angela Merkel and is expected to inherit this middle-way route.

What is Mr. Letgen

Norbert Letgen is 55 years old.



Under Prime Minister Merkel, he has been Minister of the Environment since 2009, and in the wake of the 2011 accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, he promoted a shift in the energy policy of the German government, which advocated the elimination of nuclear power.



However, in 2012, he suffered a major defeat in the local parliamentary elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, and was blamed for his dismissal of the Environment Minister.



Since 2014, he has been the chairman of the diplomatic committee of the parliament, and in the election campaign, he has been proactively appointing women and advocating environmental policies, and has strengthened his appeal to the younger generation and expanded his support.

What is Mr. Meltz

Friedrich Merz is 65 years old.



After serving as a member of the European Parliament, he moved to the German Bundestag in 1994, and since 2000 he has been the parliamentary general affairs of the "Christian Democratic Union" sect of the Bundestag.



Known as Merkel's former political enemy, he lost his post in 2002 after losing a power struggle with Merkel and retired from politics in 2009.



After that, he changed to the business world and is known as an economic expert, such as serving as an executive of a major company.



Mr. Merkel has been garnering support mainly from conservatives who are seeking a return to the liberal line that Merkel has been promoting, such as showing a strict stance on accepting immigrants.