Merkel Party Chief Swings Ahead In Race To Be Next Chancellor

The head of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU secured the backing of the party's top brass on Monday in a key boost for his campaign to succeed the veteran leader at elections in September

Berlin, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Apr, 2021 ) :The head of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU secured the backing of the party's top brass on Monday in a key boost for his campaign to succeed the veteran leader at elections in September.

At a crunch meeting in Berlin, CDU heavyweights threw their support behind Armin Laschet to lead the party and its smaller Bavarian sister party, the CSU, to the polls on September 26 -- when Merkel will retire after 16 years as chancellor.

But Laschet's rival Markus Soeder, the head of the CSU, signalled he won't be going down without a fight, with Bavarian MPs demanding that the conservative alliance's rank and file be involved in any final decision.

Though the CDU leader would normally be the bloc's first choice as chancellor candidate, with the party facing dismal ratings, some have called for Laschet to step aside in favour of Soeder, who is more popular with the public.

The stakes are high in the race to lead the CDU-CSU into the elections.

Approval ratings for the alliance have plummeted to record lows of less than 30 percent in recent months amid a sluggish vaccination programme and a corruption scandal over mask procurement.

With the once fringe Green Party now polling just a few points behind them, the CDU-CSU could face the real prospect of losing the chancellery for the first time since 2005.

- 'Great support' - Long-time Merkel ally Laschet, 60, took over as CDU leader in January but has since suffered a series of setbacks including a damaging spat with Merkel over virus containment measures.

As head of the country's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Laschet defended his region's broad interpretation of national virus measures, calling for "more freedom and flexibility".

He was also ridiculed on social media for saying he needed time to "think about" how to deal with Germany's spiralling third wave over Easter, and was accused of flip-flopping when he then appeared to change his mind with calls for a "bridge lockdown".

But CDU general secretary Paul Ziemiak said Monday there was "broad support" for Laschet "as a chancellor candidate for the CDU and CSU".

Welcoming the "great support" shown to him by the party chiefs, Laschet said he would seek to have a conversation with Soeder by the end of the day, stressing: "You all know the statements made by Markus Soeder yesterday." Soeder had remained tight-lipped about his ambitions to run for chancellor, but on Sunday openly stated his willingness to run for the first time -- "if the CDU broadly supports this as the bigger sister party".

But at a meeting of the CSU's senior leadership in Berlin on Monday afternoon, Soeder said he would not be immediately withdrawing his candidacy despite the CDU leadership's decision, party sources told AFP.

He called instead for the decision to be made later in the week, they added.

The CSU parliamentary group in the Bavarian state parliament also demanded a vote on the candidacy among all CSU and CDU members -- something that would increase Soeder's chances.