Election experts expect mass exits from CDU and electoral defeat in next federal election

Status: 20.04.2021 01:22 Uhr In a vote, the CDU's federal executive committee has come out clearly in favour of party leader Laschet as the CDU/CSU's candidate for chancellor. The vote was preceded by more than six hours of consultations.In the power struggle with CSU leader Markus Söder over the chancellor candidacy, the CDU executive has once again backed CDU leader Armin Laschet by a clear majority. In a special digital meeting of the CDU leadership last night, according to a CDU spokesperson, 31 of 46 voting board members voted in favour of Laschet's candidacy in a secret ballot. Nine voted for Söder, six abstained.Söder had put the decision in the hands of the sister party on Monday. The CDU was now making a "sovereign" decision, he said in Munich after a CSU presidium meeting. "We as CSU and also I respect every decision."