German Chancellor Angela Merkel has approved center-right candidate Armin Laschet to succeed her. The Associated Press reported.
Merkel told reporters on Sunday that Laschet, who is the governor of Germany’s most popular state, North Rhine-Westphalia, has the ability to lead.
“Armin Laschet is leading this largest state in Germany with great success,” Merkel said. “Someone who can lead this state can also lead Germany as chancellor.”
Both German politicians toured the city of Hagen and neighboring regions that were badly damaged by floods in July, according to the AP.
Laschet, who also chairs the Christian Democratic Union party, is currently tracking center-left Social Democrats to the polls for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, a Social Democrat acting as Merkel’s vice chancellor, is the favorite of the polls for his relative popularity, the AP noted.
At a press conference on Sunday, Merkel said she expects both sides of the government to be fully committed before the election, adding that Laschet has his “full support.”
“There are a lot of things we have to do at once: there’s the coronavirus, the floods, and there’s the election as well,” he said. “I think together we will do well – and Armin Laschet knows he has my support.”
Germany’s parliamentary elections will take place on September 26, the AP noted.