Tomorrow morning (16 January), 1,001 delegates from Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) will log in from around the country to watch three men in Berlin give speeches and subsequently to elect one of them as the party’s new leader. The winner will probably, but not automatically, be the party’s candidate to succeed Angela Merkel at the general election scheduled for 26 September.
It was not meant to be this way. Merkel announced in October 2018 that she was standing down as CDU leader. The party had just suffered poor state election results and this timing would give a successor time to settle into the post ahead of the 2021 election (the chancellor having ruled out running for a fifth term of office). Two months later the ensuing leadership election was won by Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, dubbed a “mini Merkel” for her moderate politics and unflashy, understated style.
Content from our partners
