Angela Merkel Succession: Markus Soeder, Armin Laschet Trade Barbs

Photographer: Michaela Handrek-Rehle / Bloomberg

Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soeder presented himself as a force for change that can revive the fortunes of German conservatives as he ran for Chancellor Angela Merkel to head the bloc’s election ticket.

His rival for the September federal ballot, Armin Laschet, said Soeder changes his views a little too easily, accusing him of opportunism and lack of principles, according to officials present at a private meeting. with legislators.

The battle to claim the mantle of Merkel’s successor is falling against the two contenders by exchanging increasingly thorny attacks that have alarmed senior officials on their bloc. They both said the matter should be resolved before Friday.

“Armin and I have agreed that we will have a final discussion this week,” Soeder later told reporters. “We have to let the outcome of this discussion sink a little.”

Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and Soeder-led Bavarian sister party have seen their polls drop in recent weeks amid growing concern over the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Merkel herself is worried that the spectacle of a public fight between the two leading figures on the bloc will hurt her position in front of voters more, according to a person familiar with her thinking.

After initially starting at the prospect of a direct clash, Laschet, the much larger CDU leader, was persuaded to join Tuesday’s meeting after Soeder promised Monday to present his presentation. directly to the parliamentary group of the alliance. On Wednesday night, Soeder will appear on an early German talk show, highlighting its potential to appeal to voters.

Laschet has precedents on his side (the Munich-based CSU has never elected a chancellor and the CDU almost always provides the candidate for the bloc), as well as the organizational muscle of the CDU hierarchy. But he has not reached an agreement with voters.

“We need unity quickly,” he said as he left the meeting. “That was a good discussion that we will have to take into account in our decision.”

Base revolt

Soeder is betting that CDU lawmakers worried about losing their seats can be persuaded to support their claim instead of that of their boss and several spoke out in support of the meeting. One said members of his district have said they will not campaign for Laschet and will read emails from some who threatened to leave the party if he became a candidate, officials said.

Soeder also intervened to criticize him, with a CDU lawmaker saying he had no backbone and attacking him for doing so.

In his address to the group, Soeder argued that the CDU / CSU cannot afford to ignore the election numbers that project the worst federal election result in its history and that, as usual, no longer they will work, officials said. He presented himself as a candidate who can connect with a new generation of voters through television and social media.