Kretschmer: K-question in the CDU/CSU already decided in favor of Merz

Kretschmer: K-question in the CDU/CSU already decided in favor of Merz

However,Kretschmer argued that the selection of candidates should only take place after the three state elections in eastern Germany in September. In addition to Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg will then also vote. "The decision will be made in the fall. And that clearly begins after the state elections," he said. The federal elections will take place a year later.

Merz announced last week that the timetable for the K question should be finalized by the CDU federal party conference in May. For him, it is therefore still open as to whether a decision on his candidacy will be made before or after the state elections. Like Kretschmer, CSU party leader Markus Söder spoke out in favor of a decision after the elections in the eastern German states in the summer.

Söder had unsuccessfully applied to be the Union's candidate for chancellor in the 2021 federal elections. Even though the CSU leader recently denied renewed ambitions, key CSU politicians are convinced that he would certainly seize the opportunity to run for chancellor. In the CDU/CSU, North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister President Hendrik Wüst is also being considered as a possible candidate for Chancellor. However, Wüst himself is also keeping a low profile regarding his possible ambitions.

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1. Kretschmer suggested that the process of selecting candidates for the K-question within the CDU/CSU should wait until after the three state elections in eastern Germany in September.
2. Thuringia, Saxony, and Brandenburg are among the eastern German states that will be holding elections alongside Thuringia in September.
3. The CDU's federal party conference is scheduled to take place in May, where Merz announced that the timeline for the K-question should be finalized.
4. Merz is still unsure if a decision on his candidacy for chancellor will be made before or after the state elections in eastern Germany.
5. Markus Söder, the CSU party leader, also expressed his support for making a decision on the candidate for chancellor after the state elections in the summer.
6. Söder had previously applied to be the Union's candidate for chancellor in the 2021 federal elections but ultimately failed to secure the position.
7. Despite Söder's denial of renewed ambitions, key CSU politicians believe that he would definitely seize the opportunity to run for chancellor if given the chance.
8. In addition to Söder, North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister President Hendrik Wüst is also being considered as a possible candidate for Chancellor within the CDU/CSU.
9. Wüst himself has remained quiet on the subject of his possible ambitions for the chancellorship.
10. Funke Media Group reported that the decision on the K-question within the CDU/CSU is already leaning toward selecting Friedrich Merz as the candidate for chancellor.
11. Alexander Dobrindt, one of the senior CDU members and the chairperson of the Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag, already voiced his support for Merz's candidacy.
12. Despite already favoring Merz's candidacy, the final decision on the K-question will only be made after the state elections in September and the CDU federal party conference in May.

Source: www.stern.de