New CDU boss Laschet: FDP serves itself, Greens rejoice - Left and AfD switch to riot

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Photo: Tobias Schwarz / AFP

North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Armin Laschet becomes the new chairman of the CDU.

The 59-year-old prevailed against Friedrich Merz and Norbert Röttgen on Saturday at the CDU's digital party conference.

Laschet replaces the outgoing CDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and must now lead the party into the super election year of 2021.

The head of the sister party CSU, Markus Söder, immediately sought alliance with the new CDU chief.

"Together we will continue the success story of the Union," wrote Söder on Twitter.

Leading politicians from the other parties also congratulated Laschet on the victory - but also used the opportunity for reminders and initial tips.

At the latest with the greetings it becomes clear: The election year is now open.

Greens call for "course clarification"

The Greens chairmen Annalena Baerbock and Robert Habeck congratulated Laschet - and asked him to clarify the course: "Armin Laschet is faced with the challenging task of redefining the CDU after the Merkel era" and "clarifying what it is actually for." .

Germany has big tasks to cope with, especially now the corona pandemic: »This year is also a year of decisions: The course must be set for consistent climate protection and the ecological modernization of the economy, for more social justice, the defense of the open, democratic society and a strong Europe. «Now an exciting competition begins, wrote Baerbock on Twitter.

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Words came from the coalition partner SPD.

Party leader Norbert Walter-Borjans announced a collaboration that should be "constructive and, where necessary, in an objective, hard struggle to find the best path for the people."

SPD is sisterly

SPD Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz congratulated on Twitter: »This is a great task with great predecessors.

I wish him the best of luck for that.

This year is tough and will be a challenge for all of us. "

After the election of the North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister Armin Laschet as the new CDU leader, the FDP hopes that the Christian Democrats will take a business-friendly course.

With Laschet, black and yellow and "thus a business-friendly policy for the hard-working middle of society is also possible at the federal level," said FDP parliamentary group vice Michael Theurer in Berlin.

FDP warns of Chancellor candidate Söder

Laschet now "has to intervene in the case of the candidate for chancellor and prevent an inner-party ordeal from a candidate for Chancellor Söder," demanded Theurer further.

Because with the CSU boss as candidate for chancellor "and a policy of shaky hands at the height of the pandemic, the federal government would be threatened with incapacity to act and permanent discomfort."

FDP leader Christian Lindner held back with criticism - and preferred to recall old alliances on Twitter: "To such a good cooperation and such sporty competition as federal chairman as we had both earlier as NRW state chairman."

The Left accuses the new CDU chairman Armin Laschet of not having a compass for the upcoming course in Germany.

"The CDU relies on haphazardly," said party leader Bernd Riexinger on Saturday in Berlin.

"First Laschet put the crisis management in North Rhine-Westphalia in the sand and now he is to lead the CDU through the crisis."

The left continues to see the CDU in "yesterday"

The new chairman of the CDU will continue to try "to save a conservative political model that has no answers for the future," added Riexinger.

"Instead of yesterday's politics, we need visions for the future." This includes a solidarity-based society, a climate-friendly economy and independent politics that focus on people.

Katja Kipping, leader of the Left Party, became even clearer.

The close result for Laschet was "a clear indication that the CDU will still come into difficult water and the right wing is still brushed on riot," she told SPIEGEL.

"There is now a chairman, but there is still no clear course."

Kipping was also evident on Twitter.

She predicts that Laschet will have to give the right wing of the party "a lot of sugar" in the future - and wants to poach the Greens into a possible coalition.

Only the AfD expressed itself as aggressive as the left.

"With the election of Armin Laschet, the CDU has finally decided in favor of the political lockdown," said the AfD parliamentary group leader Alice Weidel of the dpa news agency.

And already proclaimed a black-green coalition on Twitter: "If you vote black, you get green," tweeted Weidel.

"The chance to turn things around was definitely wasted."

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mrc / kev / dpa