Who will be the coalition’s chancellor candidate? CDU leader Merz, seen as the frontrunner, said it should be decided “soon”. CSU boss Söder has recently entered the fray again. NRW chancellor Wüst also has supporters.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz has announced an early decision on the coalition’s candidate for chancellor in the next federal election. When asked whether his decision has been made, the chairman of the coalition parliamentary group in the Bundestag simply said “soon” on the ZDF program “Berlin Direkt”. The union does not hesitate when asked about the candidate for chancellor. “We have a set timetable and we will stick to it,” he emphasized.
CSU leader Markus Söder and he “will make a proposal and the CDU and CSU party leaders will take care of it,” Merz said.
Previously, it was said in CDU circles that Merz and Söder would submit a mutually agreed proposal to the party committee. There is a lot of support for Merz, not only in the CDU but also in the CSU. The decision will be made on the basis of mutual respect, including with the CDU state chairman and North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst, who is also considered a strong candidate.
There are also surveys that say Wüst has a better chance of winning the federal election than Merz or Söder. Dennis Radtke, chairman of the CDA (Union’s Social Wing), told the Funke media group that Merz has a fantastic starting position. However, the NRW premier “has high approval ratings nationwide and therefore has the necessary capabilities.”
Announcement after Brandenburg elections?
As CDU leader, Merz usually has first access to the CDU and CSU chancellor candidates. “After all, he is a big CDU chairman and leader of a parliamentary group, and he has made very good policies in recent years and united the federation,” said Hesse Prime Minister Boris Rein. ARD– “Report from Berlin” program.
But Söder has been back in the game in recent weeks, just as he was in 2021. He has repeatedly said he is ready, shortly after the state elections in Saxony and Thuringia on September 1. Merz and Söder have agreed to decide on the K issue in late summer after the elections in the three eastern states. Next Sunday is the election in Brandenburg, the beginning of autumn.
Next Monday, the CDU and CSU hold their regular committee meeting, which traditionally discusses the state election results. It is unclear whether Merz and Söder will announce their decision at a separate meeting.
Late summer, early autumn, after the Brandenburg elections
There have been several statements about the possible timing of the decision. CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann spoke of a decision in “late summer or early autumn” in the Rheinische Post. CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt told the Funke media group’s newspaper that September and October were “the window for a decision.”
German Bundestag President Thorsten Frei (CDU) also said in the Rheinische Post that the time had come after the Brandenburg elections, and Jens Spahn, a member of the coalition parliamentary group, made a similar statement in the same newspaper. “As CDU chairman, Friedrich Merz has the first access. According to Markus Söder, he is the most preferred candidate. On this basis, Friedrich Merz and Markus Söder will make proposals to both parties,” Spahn said.
The K question could also play a role in the autumn meeting of the CSU parliamentary group in the Bavarian state parliament. The parliamentarians are meeting this week at the Banz Monastery. Söder would like to speak there on Wednesday.
A fierce power struggle with Laschet
Before the 2021 elections, Söder lost the K question in a power struggle with then CDU leader Armin Laschet. Olaf Scholz (SPD) ultimately became chancellor. Merz recently warned: “If 2021 is repeated, we have already taken the first step towards losing again in the next federal election.”
Despite the Chancellor’s low poll numbers, Scholz has already stated his intention to lead the SPD in the 2025 election campaign. He is supported by the SPD chairman. However, there is open discussion about whether Boris Pistorius should become Chancellor’s candidate. The Defence Minister has much better poll numbers than Scholz.
