Armin Laschet leads the largest party in the Christian Democratic Union, the CDU.

Markus Söder, the smaller party CSU in Bavaria.

Usually it is the CDU that, with the right of a big sister, has the strongest word and usually gets to put its candidate to lead both parties in the election.

But when little sister is both more poppis and motherly, as is the case now, then old rules no longer apply.

And when little sister refuses to step aside - yes, then her fists are in the air. 

- Söder is not a team player.

- Laschet is not an election winner.

Tough words must have been thrown between them during a meeting with the federal day group on Tuesday.  

There is really no dispute about politics.

It is a power struggle between two men who both want to lead the country when Merkel ends after the election this autumn.

The two Christian Democratic sister parties CDU and CSU have rumored together several times before.

Loud battles, with sword stabs that afterwards took time to heal.

And even if Messrs. Laschet and Söder very, very soon have to agree on whether it's big sister's or little sister's turn this time, they're both already injured.  

While the other parties have mobilized before the autumn election campaign, the Christian Democrats have waged their fight internally - against each other.

For understandable reasons, it has not been possible to work out an election program.

The starting point for the winner of the sibling battle could hardly have been worse.