At a rally by the CDU and CSU at the start of the hot election campaign phase, the outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel recommended the Union Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet (CDU) as her successor.

She was "deeply convinced" that Laschet will become Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany after the election, said Merkel on Saturday in the Tempodrom in Berlin.

In her speech, Merkel particularly emphasized the candidate's personal characteristics.

"Over the years I have seen Armin Laschet as a person and a politician for whom the C in the name of our party is not just any letter, but rather the compass of everything he has done and does," said Merkel.

It is always important for Laschet, on the basis of our Christian image of man, to focus on the individual with his inviolable dignity, to build bridges between people. "

Merkel thanks Bundeswehr soldiers

“You know that since I gave up the CDU chairmanship almost three years ago, I have basically stayed out of election campaign events,” said the Chancellor at the rally.

"Predecessors in office who quit their political work should withdraw, that is my attitude and my firm belief."

Merkel concluded her speech with an appeal to the party's election campaigners: “It is worth fighting for the remaining 35 days, every hour to ensure that the CDU and CSU are strong in the German Bundestag, every hour that we Germany are good shape and lead into a good future - and of course with Armin Laschet as our future Federal Chancellor. "

The Chancellor also thanked the Bundeswehr soldiers in Afghanistan for their efforts to rescue Germans and local staff.

It was an "extremely complicated mission," said Merkel.

“In these hours, the main thing is to save people.” Merkel described the development in Afghanistan with the Taliban's takeover as a “drama” and “tragedy”.

The Afghan army "collapsed at a breathtaking pace".

Merkel said that after the rescue operation there will be talk of what was done in Afghanistan and what was not. There is currently no acute terrorist threat from the country. However, the approach of the Western engagement there was more broadly defined: "We wanted to enable as many people as possible in Afghanistan to lead a free, good and self-determined life," said Merkel. "And we just have to say: It didn't work out that way."