"And now everyone together": What you want Armin Laschet now

From looking forward to the joint, constructive work to reproaching everything he has missed in the past to open hostility – the new CDU party chairman has received a lot of reading material since yesterday. A selection.

Now that everyone has talked extensively or thought about Friedrich Merz, it has almost been forgotten who "won" the party chairmanship yesterday: Armin Laschet. Colleagues from all political camps have something to say to the future party leader, above all the Chancellor tweeted: "Congratulations, dear Armin Laschet, on your election as CDU chairman. I look forward to our cooperation."

The outgoing CDU chairwoman Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer hands over the baton with the following words on Twitter: "Congratulations to Armin Laschet on being elected as our chairman. Thanks to Friedrich Merz and Norbert Röttgen for the fair competition. And now everyone together for our union and our country."

The chairman and his (brief) vice: Laschet and Spahn.

(Photo: REUTERS)

The Federal Minister of Health, who before the election made a little too much advertising for his team partner, whose deputy he will now be, finds warm words: "Congratulations, Armin Laschet, and thank you very much for being elected deputy. Party chairmanship. Now it's time to: Together for our country and for our CDU! "Wrote Jens Spahn on Twitter.

Who plays what role

With CSU boss Markus Söder it gets a little more detailed: "Congratulations, Armin Laschet. I'm looking forward to our cooperation! Together we will continue the success story of the Union." And: "Armin Laschet and I will, I am quite sure, find a joint, intelligent and closed solution for all further questions that arise." Laschet then replied in the ZDF program "Was now …?": "We will find a candidate for Chancellor together in April." And on ARD, he adds in the program "Color confess": "The history of the CDU was mostly successful, even if the CDU chairman was ready to be a candidate for chancellor." And further: "Cabinet reshuffle was not an issue. In the next few weeks we will talk about the way in which all those who supported him find themselves in the party and what role he will then assume."

Most are looking forward to working with Armin Laschet.

(Photo: imago images / APress)

For the sake of completeness for everyone who should have missed this yesterday, the tweets of the competitor Friedrich Merz should be quoted here again: "Fewer women would have been elected to the presidium for my application. I have therefore decided in favor of women to renounce a candidacy. But I offered the new party chairman Armin Laschet to join the current federal government and take over the Federal Ministry of Economics. " Government spokesman Seibert replied at the speed of light: "The Chancellor is not planning any government reshuffle."

The reactions to Merz's advance were not long in coming: "It is wrong that the unsuccessful applicant for a party office now demands a state office," said Schleswig-Holstein's Prime Minister Daniel Günther, CDU, in the "Lübecker Nachrichten".

"Sounds like blackmail"

A state office "in the current (!) Federal Government. Does that sound like blackmail in my ears? An offer that Laschet cannot refuse …" the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Katarina Barley, is also angry on Twitter.

But on with the congratulations: "I congratulate Armin Laschet on being chairman of the CDU! This is a great task with great predecessors. I wish him the best of luck. This year is tough and will be a challenge for all of us. Luck on we say – all the best, "tweeted SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz, and SPD leader Saskia Esken added in the same way:" Congratulations to Armin Laschet and good luck in the great task that lies ahead of him: to bring the CDU together In the coalition, coping with Corona is a challenge that cannot tolerate any further internal party competition between the conservatives. " Esken's co-boss Norbert Walter-Borjans also congratulates: (…) In view of important issues that will remain on the TO (Agenda, editor's note) stand, take your word for it. Constructively and, where necessary, in a factual, hard struggle to find the best way for people. "

This is what winners look like: Laschet on Saturday after his speech before the election for party leadership.

(Photo: imago images / sepp spiegl)

"For such good cooperation and such sporty competition as federal chairman as we both had earlier as NRW state chairman", FDP chairman Christian Lindner wishes for a common future via Twitter, and FDP parliamentary group vice Michael Theurer sends out: "With Mr. Laschet As CDU leader, black and yellow and thus a business-friendly policy for the hard-working middle of society is also possible at the federal level. To do this, Mr. Laschet has to intervene in the candidacy for chancellor and prevent an inner-party ordeal by a candidate for Chancellor Söder. "

"God's blessing"

Sounds a bit disappointed – the FDP General Secretary Volker Wissing: "The non-election of Friedrich Merz underlines the creeping loss of importance of economic and financial policy within the CDU." The tweets from the chairman of the Green Group, Katrin Göring-Eckardt, sound more friendly: "Congratulations to Armin Laschet. God's blessing. And then looking forward to an exciting argument." And the Greens chairwoman Annalena Baerbock also sends congratulations: "(…) It will be an exciting political competition about the question of which force will lead our country out of the crisis with courage, determination and renewed vigor."

Incidentally, this is the CDU man's family: the children Julius, Eva and Johannes, wife Susanne (2nd from left)

(Photo: imago images / Future Image)

Here is a rather doubting voice: "With Laschet, the CDU now has a new party chairman, but by no means a candidate for chancellor. Regardless of who wins the race for CDU candidate for chancellor, the CDU will not be ready to set the course so that we are fair come out of the crisis, "said Left Chairwoman Katja Kipping." Another warning: "It's good that a watering down to the right has not prevailed in the Union. The Union has been leading the federal government for 15 years and is therefore largely responsible for the deep division in our society, "comments Left parliamentary group leader Dietmar Bartsch on Twitter. Left chairman Bernd Riexinger then also lists a few mistakes:" The CDU relies on haphazardly . First Laschet screwed up the crisis management in NRW and now he is supposed to lead the CDU through the crisis. Laschet goes into the election year completely without a political compass: Action against right-wing extremism? Nothing. Regulation of the meat companies? Nothing. "

CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt addressed Laschet via the German Press Agency: "All the best and God's blessings. A decade of transformation lies ahead of us, we as the CDU and CSU want to shape this decade together and keep Germany at the top. I am pleased I look forward to the cooperation. A big thank you to Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. With her personal commitment, she has made a new unity between CDU and CSU possible. "

"Now comes the hardest task"

SPD General Secretary Lars Klingbeil congratulates on Twitter: "Congratulations to Armin Laschet on being elected chairman of the Conservatives. In the coalition, we are jointly responsible for getting the country through this pandemic." Recognition also from ex-SPD party leader Sigmar Gabriel: "The winner of the party congress is the CDU: absolutely professional image, successful digital organization & three political heavyweights to choose from: One can only congratulate. But as a social democrat I know: Now comes the most difficult task : hold together in headwinds. "

Even the AfD insisted on commenting on what was happening at the CDU. "With the election of Armin Laschet, the CDU has finally decided in favor of the political lockdown. Freedom-conservatives can only find a political home in the AfD," says parliamentary group leader Alice Weidel. The party leader Tino Chrupalla blows in the same horn. "With Armin Laschet, the CDU is setting a course for a coalition with the Greens. This means that the AfD is finally the only remaining liberal-conservative force in Germany." And: "Bad news for Germany: Now there is further commentary," said AfD co-chair Jörg Meuthen to the CDU news.

"The industry congratulates Armin Laschet and calls on the new CDU chairman to take immediate action to make necessary investments and to set the course at the site," congratulates BDI President Siegfried Russwurm, and DGB boss Reiner Hoffmann expresses himself in the "Welt": We know that the new chairman recognizes social partnership and strong trade unions as central pillars of our democracy and that securing employment and safeguarding workers' rights in Germany are his top priority. "