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After winning the power struggle for the Union's candidacy for chancellor, the political pressure on CDU party leader Armin Laschet to comment on his future as Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia is growing. "He now has to say clearly that he is going to Berlin as an opposition politician and is not allowed to play for time," said SPD country leader Thomas Kutschaty WELT. Laschet should “not leave the citizens of North Rhine-Westphalia in the dark about his intentions. He has now pulled the ticket to Berlin, but a return ticket was not included in the price, ”said Kutschaty. North Rhine-Westphalia is “no playground for Mr. Laschet's career plans - according to the motto: If it is not enough for Berlin, then Düsseldorf is good enough again. The country does not deserve such delaying tactics ”.

The day-long dispute between the CDU and CSU over the candidate for chancellor leads to criticism in the Union. Baden-Württemberg's former Prime Minister and ex-EU Commissioner Günther Oettinger (CDU) accused both party leaders of having failed to lay down rules for determining the candidate. "We had a common pitch in the last few days, but it was as if some wanted to play football and the other handball," Oettinger told the "Stuttgarter Zeitung" and the "Stuttgarter Nachrichten" (Wednesday). "That was a failure of both party leaderships."

Oettinger called the decision in favor of CDU party leader Armin Laschet "very reasonable".

You now have to look ahead and stand closed behind Laschet.

Although he also felt that CSU boss Markus Söder was probably the preferred candidate of many members of the Bundestag and also the base.

"But the other way around, Armin Laschet is also someone to show off," said Oettinger.

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Laschet had prevailed on Tuesday in the dispute over the candidate for chancellor against Söder.

The CSU chief proclaimed Laschet to be a common candidate for the Union after he had received clear support in the CDU federal executive board the night before.

However, Laschet's nomination did not spark any enthusiasm in the Union.

Thuringia's CDU state chief Christian Hirte even spoke of a "decision against the CDU base".

Critics point above all to the comparatively poor approval ratings for Laschet.

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