Berlin (dpa) - The CDU chairwoman Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has criticized her successor applicants Norbert Röttgen and Friedrich Merz and indirectly questioned their ability to be chancellor.
Röttgen had renewed his proposal for a membership decision on party leadership on Thursday. Merz announced on Friday the appointment of the head of his application campaign, the Hessian CDU member of the Bundestag Patricia Lips.
"The candidates who apply for the party presidency will also be considered from the point of view of whether they are eligible for chancellorship," said Kramp-Karrenbauer of the "Welt am Sonntag". "Everyone has to decide which questions to give priority to."
Then she added: "In a situation where the whole country is forced to close its schools, first of all to think about how the CDU is now solving the candidate question as quickly as possible or to introduce campaign managers may be a priority. Mine would be it not." Now the following must apply: "First the country, then the party and then the person."
When the CDU party congress takes place with the election of its successor is currently of little importance, said Kramp-Karrenbauer. "Given the corona situation, this is a question that people don't care about. I lead my party with all my might until the successor is elected." She answered no to the question of whether she would have announced her retirement even if she had known how severe the Corona crisis would be: "No. I would have waited for it."
