Christian Social Union leader Markus Soeder. Picture: LIESA JOHANNESSEN-KOPPITZ/BLOOMBERGoeder on Sunday joined the race to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel after Germany’s election in September, setting up a fight with the head of her Christian Democratic Union for the nomination in her governing conservative bloc.
Merkel hasn’t taken sides in the race even though Laschet comes, like Merkel, from the CDU. While Merkel and Soeder clashed during Germany’s 2015-2016 refugee crisis, the leader of Bavaria’s regional Christian Social Union party has backed her push for restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic. Laschet, meanwhile, was criticised by Merkel for a lax response in his home state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The CDU and the CSU traditionally field a joint candidate for chancellor, but Soeder’s entry into the race signals a gloves-off contest between two sister parties whose alliance has helped ensure Germany’s political stability since the end of World War 2. His announcement throws the ball into the court of the CDU, where some members are known to favour him over Laschet.
The next steps in the candidacy face-off could come when the CDU and CSU leaderships meet separately on Monday.Polls suggest that Soeder, who’s the state premier of Bavaria, is far more popular than Laschet. However, both candidates from socially conservative Bavaria who ran for chancellor in the past were defeated.“Our goal at this time, with a chancellor who is leaving office, is to foster as much unity between the CDU and CSU as possible,” Laschet said. “There’s a lot at stake.
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