“The dice is rolled, Armin Laschet has become a candidate for the position of chancellors,” Markus Söder said at a press conference from Bavaria. “I accept her, respect her, and support Lachit without resentment.” With these words, a fierce battle ends, as Lachit is beaten hard.
Laschet, the 60-year-old prime minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, now has the task of sweeping shrapnel, and in the coming months to convince not only the voters of his abilities, but also the part of his party that prefers they have seen Söder the popularity as the leader of the party.
When the CSU leader announced more than a week ago what everyone had been thinking for a year, namely that he also wanted to make a bid to lead the Christian Democratic two sibling parties, a fierce battle ensued between him and Lachette.
CDU Council
Usually, the decision of the CDU Council, the older sister, is the law. The CDU rallied behind Lachette, at first unanimously. But Söder refused to accept that last week, citing the popular stats in which he scored higher than Laschet, and also highlighting the support he enjoys in what they call “ Al Qaeda ” in the party’s language: Members outside Berlin, in the district. .
Within the CDU, there was a gap a few years ago between those who broadly support Merkel’s policy and those who yearn for a conservative path. Especially in the East German states, where the far-right Alternative Party is the second party, the local leadership of the CDU is not happy with Laschet. According to them, it will embody Merkel’s policy too much.
Söder is somewhat more conservative and succeeds in positioning himself as a “man of the people,” who travels across the country with folded sleeves and does not need party apparatus to legitimize his chancellor’s ambitions.
Renewal
Söder’s tactic seemed to work. More and more CDU politicians spoke about himself in the past week, because he would win more seats and because he represented innovation. But Lachette kept his foot stiff and forced the party council to declare allegiance again on Monday evening. Shortly after midnight, he received a vote of 31 of the 46 members eligible to vote. Soder got 9 votes. 6 members abstained.
Soder had promised Sunday that he would respect CDU’s choice. He fulfilled his word, but he was still stabbing underwater. He thanked the great support in the Christian Democratic Union, and thanked “in particular the courageous members who dared to work with me against the will of the party leadership.”
Laschets state is anything but stability. He himself rejects it, arguing that a lot can still happen within five months. Much will depend on the fight against Coronavirus. If grafting continues to gain momentum and dominate the third wave, this will be reflected in the ruling CDU. On the one hand, if this does not happen and the CDU is also performing poorly in the federal state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, the Lachit campaign will be very difficult.
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