The debate over the chancellor issue is picking up speed again in the Union. CSU boss Söder has already positioned himself. But CDU boss Kramp-Karrenbauer sees the claim to the candidacy with her party.
The debate on the chancellor candidacies at Union and SPD comes after the months of concentrating on the fight against the corona pandemic. The outgoing CDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer insisted on her party’s claim to power. When asked whether CSU boss Markus Söder A serious aspirant for the chancellor candidate, if he strives for it, said “Focus Online”: “We will first redefine the chairmanship of the CDU. In our view, he has the first right to the chancellor candidate.” At the SPD faction leader closed Rolf Mützenich not enough to move to the 2021 Bundestag election as a candidate for chancellor.
Union unity emphasized
With regard to Söder, Kramp-Karrenbauer emphasized that in the end it “must always be a joint decision between the CDU and CSU who is the joint top candidate”. At the same time, she underlined the Union’s great unity. There is an advantage over the SPD “that our candidate has the full backing of the entire Union”.
After Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) no longer wants to run after four terms in office, the question of the Union’s candidacy as chancellor is open. The CDU wants to clarify the successor to the outgoing party leader Kramp-Karrenbauer at a party conference in early December. Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia are considered promising applicants Armin Laschet, the economic politician Friedrich Merz and the foreign politician Norbert Röttgen. Subsequently, a joint candidate for chancellor should be discussed with the CSU. After Söder categorically excluded a candidate for chancellor for a long time, he finally expressed himself more cautiously on this question.
Merz is optimistic
Merz was optimistic on Friday at “Bild live” to win the election to the CDU chairmanship: “I am very confident, but there are still six months to go – and a lot can still happen.” The question of the candidate for chancellor will probably not be answered until January 2021. After the election to the top of the party, the new CDU leader “would immediately start a conversation with the CSU”. Then there would be a joint decision by the CDU and CSU.
Röttgen told the “Augsburger Allgemeine” (Friday): “I have a clear preference for a candidate for chancellor from the CDU, but the CDU and CSU belong together.” The CDU and CSU had always agreed on the K question and would do it again. Regarding a possible candidacy for Söder, he said: “The qualities and skills of Markus Söder include flexibility, and that is why I believe he will take the time to decide that by the end of the year.”
Mützenich does not rule out candidacy for the SPD
SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich told t-online.de about the debate about a candidate for chancellor of his party: “It is not surprising that the chairman of the SPD parliamentary group is also named.” When asked whether he excluded a candidature, he replied: “I have been a member of the SPD since 1975. My experience since then is that such important questions first have to be discussed internally.” The SPD will decide together in the next few months.
As a possible candidate for chancellor of the SPD also becomes finance minister Olaf Scholz traded. The magazine “Cicero” reported at the end of May that Mützenich was the preferred candidate for the two party leaders Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans. According to surveys, the Social Democrats are currently only between 14 and 16 percent.
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