There are many pinpricks against the chairman. For example, the Junge Union (JU) wants to vote on their "Deutschlandtag" this weekend in Saarbrücken on a motion that will leave the members the decision on the next Chancellor candidate of the Union.
JU boss Tilman Kuban told the ARD, the candidacy does not automatically go out to Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer: "We have a lot of good heads." And just Kramp-Karren Bauer's old rival Friedrich Merz will speak on the first day of the JU's annual meeting: Before the vote on the primary election, as the "world" reports.
At the same time, the right-wing conservative values Union launched an online survey among members: It is about supporting an application for the primary election of chancellor candidate, the group wants to bring in the CDU Federal Party Congress in Leipzig in November.
Officially, Kramp-Karrenbauer continues to be the favorite. Who chairs the CDU, has the first right to access the chancellor candidate of the Union parties - as it has always been.
But among the Christian Democrats, leading officials are silent about skepticism: The race for the Chancellor candidate had already run.
- In the case of the demoscopes, Kramp-Karrenbauer remains weak or, as in the current SPIEGEL survey, falls further behind.
- The surprising change to the Cabinet as Minister of Defense pays so far not from the new post has not strengthened their authority in their own ranks or points brought to the citizens.
- The image of Kramp-Karrenbauer, which started so hopefully this year, has been severely damaged within nine months.
There are no regular elections at the CDU party convention, otherwise the chairman would probably have to be very specific about her job. But the question of Chancellor candidate in the Union could soon be asked. That the SPD elects a new chairmanship duo at its party congress in early December, which leads the comrades from the grand coalition, is still conceivable.
In the case of new elections, the Union would have to clarify the K question quickly
Then soon new elections would be possible - and CDU and CSU would have to quickly in terms of chancellor candidate to agree.
Some CDU chairpersons have in the past left others the precedence, before the federal election in 1980 Helmut Kohl renounced, the Bavarian Prime Minister and CSU leader Franz Josef Strauss finally joined the Union, 2002 left Angela Merkel the Christian Social Edmund Stoiber chancellor candidate. Ostrich like Stoiber failed, Kohl and Merkel in turn later moved to the Chancellery.
But who would question instead of Kramp-Karrenbauer in the Union in the K-question? Are there any favorites - or potential surprise candidates?
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Union parties: These are the possible K candidates