CDU chairmanship: Thuringian state chief Hirte brings Brinkhaus into play

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Union faction leader Ralph Brinkhaus

Photo: TOBIAS SCHWARZ / AFP

 The Thuringian CDU state chief and member of the Bundestag Christian Hirte has brought the head of the CDU / CSU parliamentary group, Ralph Brinkhaus, into play as a possible candidate in the power struggle for the federal chairmanship of the party.

In the CDU there are many great personalities who are "suitable for the highest top positions," said Hirte to SPIEGEL about a possible fourth candidate for the federal chairmanship.

"The parliamentary group leader Ralph Brinkhaus is definitely one of them," he emphasized.

So far, three candidates have applied to succeed Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer: the former Union parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz, the North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister Armin Laschet and the member of the Bundestag Norbert Röttgen.

However, there has been speculation within the party about another candidate for months.

It is about a female candidate, as desired by the Women's Union.

Also in discussion is Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn, whom several CDU politicians had recently asked to run for.

Spahn had already run in the last election, but failed.

This time he opted for a team solution with Laschet, which he still adheres to today.

Against the background of the recent escalation in the dispute over the election date, the still party leader Kramp-Karrenbauer had warned the trio of applicants in the SPIEGEL interview: "The more ruinous the competition, the more some people may think about other applicants as a reflex to this discussion put."

But she is "currently assuming that the candidate field will remain that way".

Brinkhaus had given a brilliant and emotional speech in the Bundestag last week, which received a lot of positive attention in the parliamentary group.

In it, he defended the course of the federal government in the corona crisis against sharp attacks from the opposition.

In his election as parliamentary group chairman in September 2018, he surprisingly prevailed against long-time parliamentary group leader Volker Kauder.

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