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CDU party congress: Söder has »no time« for the speeches of his competitors

2021-01-15T19:35:00.895Z


He has to work through files and make appointments: CSU boss Söder allegedly has no time to listen to the party conference speeches by Laschet, Merz and Röttgen. Meanwhile, Bundestag President Schäuble reveals who he will vote for.


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Markus Söder: Teasing against the three candidates for the CDU chairmanship

Photo: 

Sammy_Minkoff / imago images / Sammy Minkoff

Shortly before the CDU party conference, CSU leader Markus Söder announced that he did not have time to watch the speeches of the three candidates for the presidency on Saturday.

In the end, he would be "surprised", said Bavaria's Prime Minister of the Funke media group.

He has to work through files and make appointments.

Due to the corona, the federal party conference is taking place entirely digitally - a premiere in Germany.

The successor to party leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer is to be elected on Saturday.

The choices are Friedrich Merz, Armin Laschet and Norbert Röttgen.

The solution to the personnel issue has been dragging on since spring because of the pandemic.

A special party conference originally planned for the end of April 2020 and a party conference in December had been canceled.

Meanwhile, Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble announced that he would vote for Merz as CDU leader.

The candidate he had already built up before the 2018 chairman election could best mobilize.

Still-party leader Kramp-Karrenbauer said goodbye to her office in her speech at the party congress.

Almost a year ago, the CDU found itself in an existentially difficult situation after the debacle in Thuringia.

At that time, the FDP politician Thomas Kemmerich was elected Prime Minister with the votes of the AfD and CDU.

"It was about the soul of our party," said Kramp-Karrenbauer in her speech.

As party leader, she no longer had enough authority and support.

The decision to announce her withdrawal from office in this crisis was difficult, but correct.

"Not always having lived up to your expectations still hurts today," said the outgoing party leader.

The dispute over the refugee issue brought the CDU and its sister party CSU almost to the brink of failure of a community, said Kramp-Karrenbauer.

That shouldn't happen again.

Kramp-Karrenbauer emphasized that with the motions of the structural and constitutional commission, for example to anchor the women's quota or to recognize the group of lesbians and gays in the Union, the CDU shows that it not only speaks, but also acts.

"We're doing something for equality for women," said Kramp-Karrenbauer.

Merkel calls pandemic an "event of the century"

Afterwards, several party colleagues thanked Kramp-Karrenbauer for their work.

In her speech, Chancellor Angela Merkel recalled the developments since 2005, when she was elected to office.

Merkel said it had not been a quiet year.

Now there is the "event of the century" of the pandemic, which demands a lot from most people.

In these eventful years, Germany and its citizens showed strength, said Merkel.

She is convinced that this will also be the case after the pandemic.

Germany has always been able to find new strength.

She is convinced that the world will change even faster in the next 15 years than during her term in office.

Icon: The mirror

mfh / Reuters / dpa

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2021-01-15

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