Germany, Söder: "Ready for a candidacy for the chancellery for the CDU"
Duel with the Laender, Germany is preparing to tighten anti-Covid measures
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20 April 2021 The federal leadership of the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has expressed a majority in favor of a candidacy of the party president and premier of North Rhine Westphalia, Armin Laschet, for the chancellery representing the Union (CDU / Csu), dispute with the Bavarian Markus Soeder, in view of the elections for the renewal of the Bundestag, on September 26th. Elections that will mark Angela Merkel's exit from the political scene after 16 years in the chancellery.
In an evening of high tension, in which this result no longer seemed to be taken for granted, Laschet obtained 77.5% of the votes of the party presidium, with 31 preferences in his favor. Only 9 members sided with Soeder, while 6 abstained. In the light of yesterday's Bavarian leader's statements, this outcome would be decisive: it was Munich's adversary who in fact stated that the decision "belongs to the CDU" and that he would "respect" it. The vote, which was secret, came after a session of over six hours in the presidium of the Christian Democrats, also torn at the base by this duel, in which many deputies spoke out for the leader of the small Bavarian party, so far in a big way advantage in polls.
The press conference expected immediately after the vote has been postponed until tomorrow. The Dpa gives up the game. But on Twitter there are those who question the definitive validity of this vote, stating that things can "still change", and even prominent political observers - Spiegel for example - are wondering on the social network if Soeder will actually accept the candidacy. by Laschet. The minister president of Westphalia, for his part, wanted to avoid the decision being dealt with tomorrow in the parliamentary group, where he could lose the majority of the votes.
Soeder, 54, president of the CSU and governor of Bavaria, is more popular than Laschet in the polls, but is ready to step aside "without resentment". The 60-year-old centrist former television journalist Laschet in the government of North Rhine-Westphalia is the candidate in continuity with Angela Merkel. Although 5 months after the farewell and penalized in the polls for the management of the coronavirus, the chancellor has never formally sided with Laschet. Speaking via video conference, Hessian regional premier Volker Bouffier, who supports Laschet, warned that the decision "may not be accepted by the grassroots".
The feud in the conservative camp is contrasted by the clear decision of the Green Party that has deployed Annalena Baerbock as a candidate for the chancellery. Laschet, congratulating her on the appointment, promised "a fair electoral campaign" and urged the parties to be "respectful".