Monday, November 1st, 2021
Power struggle for CDU chairmanship
Merz probably wants to pull Spahn on his side
In the race for the CDU chairmanship, according to a media report, Friedrich Merz is trying to win Health Minister Jens Spahn as a partner: for a team from the liberal-conservative camp – against board member Norbert Röttgen. Spahn should therefore waive a candidate for a fight.
According to a newspaper report, the power struggle for party leadership in the CDU is intensifying. As the “Bild” newspaper reports, the economic politician Friedrich Merz wants to dissuade the deputy party chairman and Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn from running for a fight. The aim is therefore to move Spahn to an amicable team solution. A conversation between Merz and Spahn should take place on Monday.
According to the report, the deputy Union parliamentary group leader Carsten Linnemann will also take part in the conversation. Like Spahn, Linnemann is also considered a possible candidate for party and parliamentary group chairmanship. As “Bild” continues, Merz wants to use the team solution to unite the liberal-conservative camp against a candidacy from CDU presidium member Norbert Röttgen. His candidacy is considered to have been agreed in the Merz environment.
After losing the Bundestag election, the CDU is heading for a member survey for the first time in its history to fill the party chairmanship. At a meeting of the more than 300 district chairmen on Saturday, there was great approval for such an approach to clarify the successor to party leader Armin Laschet. The presidium and federal executive committee of the CDU will meet on Tuesday.
The outgoing Chancellor and former CDU chairwoman Angela Merkel had emphasized that she would not take part in the analysis of the results and in the discussion about the reorganization. “As someone who has left active politics, I will not interfere in these debates,” she told the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung”.