Chancellor candidacy of the CDU/CSU Power struggle on the home stretch

Status: 04/18/2021 11:56 p.m. There is no decision yet - but it is apparently getting closer: Armin Laschet and Markus Söder have arrived in Berlin. Meanwhile, the Junge Union spoke out in favor of Söder.Armin Laschet or Markus Söder? Actually, the leaders of the CDU and CSU wanted to agree by the end of the week on which of them would lead the CDU/CSU in the federal election campaign. There is still no agreement, but at least there is some movement. Both candidates arrived in Berlin this evening. According to news agency "dpa", both politicians are in the Bundestag building. Kristin Schwietzer, ARD Berlin, sees no reliable majority for Armin Laschet tagesthemen 22:45 , 18.4.2021 JU speaks out in favor of SöderAfter days of wrangling, support for CDU leader Laschet appears to be waning: In the evening, the state chairmen of the Junge Union (JU) spoke out with a large majority in favor of a candidacy of Söder, as JU leader Tilman Kuban announced. Only the JU state association from Laschet's home state of North Rhine-Westphalia had clearly backed the CDU leader in a conference.Kuban called on Laschet and Söder to "finally live up to their responsibility for the Union" and quickly clarify the candidate issue. The joint junior organization of the CDU and CSU would "not allow an overheated debate in the parent parties CDU and CSU to bring strife and division into the Junge Union," Kuban said. "The two candidates had enough time to come to a decision," it continued. "This did not happen, and now we see ourselves forced to position ourselves." It added that this had been done "with a clear majority in favor of Markus Söder." Tilman Kuban, chairman of Junge Union, "We will be very successful with both candidates for chancellor." tagesthemen 22:45 , 18.4.2021 In Lower Saxony, the CDU also deliberated in the evening. There, state leader Bernd Althusmann called together the members of his board and the district and county chairmen for a video call. There, a mixed picture emerged, reports the news agency "Reuters". There had been somewhat more supporters for Markus Söder as a candidate for chancellor, but numerous participants had also spoken out in favor of Armin Laschet. The tenor was that both candidates would be supported. Almost all participants had demanded that a decision be made in the short term.Laschet increasingly on the defensiveLaschet had already been increasingly on the defensive: After the state leaders of Saxony-Anhalt and Saarland, Michael Kretschmer from Saxony was the third CDU state premier over the weekend to indicate a preference for Söder. While he did not come out clearly in favor of the CSU leader on ARD, he pointed out that Söder had a great many advocates in the Saxon CDU, which he "could not underestimate. "Should Laschet's talks with Söder fail to produce a result, the decision on the chancellor candidate would presumably come down to the Bundestag parliamentary group - where Söder has considerable support, even among CDU deputies. Söder's supporters made several suggestions over the weekend about procedures that could pave the way for Söder to run for chancellor - despite the clear backing of the CDU's top committees for Laschet: for example, a vote in the parliamentary group or the involvement of the district chairmen of both CDU/CSU parties. Kai Wegner, Berlin/CDU state chairman, talks about the CDU/CSU's candidate for chancellor question Report from Berlin, 18.4.2021 In the report from Berlin, Berlin CDU Chairman Kai Wegner said with regard to the CDU: "As a candidate for chancellor of the CDU and CSU, the majority wants Markus Söder." He brought up a face-saving option for Laschet: the party presidiums of the CDU and CSU should jointly declare themselves in favor of Söder as the candidate for chancellor, and Laschet could then remain a "strong party leader. "Wegner rejected a special meeting of the CDU's federal executive committee to support Laschet. "That's nonsense." If the two party leaders do not reach an agreement, he said, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group will have to decide on Tuesday. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)