![]() Laschet’s response to the pandemic in his state has raised serious questions about his judgment. That changed quickly after the coronavirus hit. Even if he was still unfamiliar to most Germans, many who knew Laschet had a positive impression. A fluent French speaker, Laschet also enjoyed a long reputation as a dedicate European. ![]() The coronavirus not only forced the party to delay a decision until the end of the year it also upended the contest, triggering doubts about the suitability of some of the candidates, in particular the frontrunner.Īrmin Laschet, regional premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, appeared to have the leg up on the competition in the wake of Kramp-Karrenbauer’s announcement.Ī Merkel favorite, Laschet combined a moderate voice with the gravitas that comes from leading Germany’s most populous state. Though the current competition is nominally for the party leadership, the victor was also expected to become the party’s candidate for chancellor in 2021. Kramp-Karrenbauer’s decision triggered a new contest for the leadership of the CDU, which she took over as chairwoman from Merkel in late 2017. Merkel’s original choice for a successor, Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, pulled herself out of the race in February after concluding she didn’t have sufficient support from her fellow Christian Democrats (CDU). That has left the question of who will be leading Germany in a year’s time less clear than it has been in decades. While Merkel can take comfort in Germany’s new love affair with her, it has complicated life for her would-be successors, all of whom are languishing in her long shadow. “Don’t you sometimes think that you need to remain in a position of responsibility?” the journalist asked, only to be abruptly cut off by a decisive “nein” from the chancellor. When a reporter for German public television asked Merkel during a rare television interview last month whether she would be willing to reconsider her decision to exit the political stage, the question sounded more like a plea than journalistic query.
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