Saturday, November 13th, 2021
Race to succeed Laschet
Braun nominated as presidential candidate
Merz, Braun, Röttgen – who will be the next CDU chairman? The race for Laschet’s successor is on. The CDU district association Gießen now unanimously nominates Chancellery Minister Helge Braun, making him the first official candidate.
Chancellery Minister Helge Braun is the first official candidate in the membership decision for the CDU party chairmanship. The CDU district association of Gießen, led by Braun, officially nominated the 49-year-old as a candidate. The decision was made unanimously, said the CDU district manager Markus Schmidt. Braun is the first candidate to meet the requirements specified in the party statutes. This stipulates that a candidate for the party chairmanship must be nominated by a district or district association.
On Friday, the MP Norbert Röttgen also announced his candidacy. He should be nominated as an applicant on Monday by his district association Rhein-Sieg. Another likely candidate is the MP Friedrich Merz.
The 49-year-old Braun is a close confidante of the outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel, whom he has served as Chancellery Minister since March 2018. He has been a member of the Bundestag since 2002. Braun is a medical graduate. He played an important role in shaping Merkel’s corona policy.
Candidates for the successor to CDU boss Armin Laschet can register until November 17th. A membership decision on the candidates is to take place in December – for the first time in the history of the Federal CDU.
If no candidate receives an absolute majority, a casting vote is planned. The new party leader is to be officially elected to office at a party congress on January 21st and 22nd in Hanover.