Söder wants to clarify K issue with Merz - but not too soon
In the last parliamentary election campaign, CSU leader Söder had a fierce battle of attrition with CDU leader Laschet over the question of the top candidate. He has now announced that this should not happen again. However, he is in no hurry on the subject.
CSU leader Markus Söder has warned against deciding too early on a Union candidate for chancellor for the 2025 federal elections. "We should not allow ourselves to be distracted in the Union by a premature discussion," Söder, who is also Bavarian Minister President, told Bild am Sonntag. "It's like a penalty shoot-out: If you start too early, you miss." The issue will be clarified between the party leaders of the CDU and CSU, said Söder. "We both understand each other so well that we can manage this well. And that's why it's important not to let ourselves drift now."
However, NRW government leader Hendrik Wüst recently questioned whether the choice of chancellor was a matter for the two party leaders and insisted on a say in the matter. "Just as the CSU understandably claims to have a say in this, so do the state chairmen and minister presidents of the CDU," he told Der Spiegel. This would also be in line with the federal character of his party. "And it helps a candidate to have broad support and a strong tailwind for the election campaign."
Söder currently sees CDU chairman Friedrich Merz as the first contender for the candidacy: "Of course, the chairman of the larger party among the Union sisters is a natural candidate. If we were to vote now, he would also be the clear favorite. And I advocate a new election as soon as possible." Söder promised that there would be no new dispute over the candidate for chancellor: "2021 will not be repeated." Before the 2021 general election, a power struggle broke out between the then NRW Minister President Armin Laschet and Söder over the K-question. Laschet won this, but failed in the election.
CDU leader Merz recently announced that the timetable should be finalized by the CDU federal party conference in May. It remains to be seen whether the candidacy will be decided before or after the state elections in three eastern German states in September. In August, Söder spoke out in favor of not selecting the Union's candidate for chancellor until after the eastern elections. New state elections will be held in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg in September 2024.
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Söder and Merz, both leaders of their respective parties CDU and CSU, agreed to clarify the candidate for the 2025 federal elections, with Söder citing Merz as a potential contender if elections were held immediately. However, Söder emphasized the importance of not rushing the decision, comparing it to starting a penalty shoot-out too early and missing the opportunity.
Source: www.ntv.de
