Laschet's fateful day
Yesterday, when the executive committee of the CDU and CSU met with prominent guests in Berlin, Markus Söder finally said yes.
And because Armin Laschet also said yes, the Union
now officially has two candidates
who can imagine becoming chancellor.
This can be seen as positive as a wedding ceremony: two politicians who are ready to take responsibility for what is almost the highest-ranking office in the state.
Unfortunately, the Basic Law only allows one.
Enlarge image
Armin Laschet and Markus Söder in Berlin
Photo: POOL / REUTERS
And so this perspective rather opens up: The fact that the two party leaders of the CDU and CSU have so far not been able to
figure out
the question among themselves testifies above all to the
weak authority of Armin Laschet
, the leader of the larger party.
In normal times, the CDU boss would of course have claimed the office for himself, the self-confident but little sister would of course have had to submit.
But nothing is taken for granted these days.
The decision of who it will be was postponed again.
Now others are allowed to have their say: The focus is on the
members of the Presidium and the Executive Board of the CDU
who are meeting today.
For Laschet, the committees have so far been seen as a guarantee that he would become one in the end, after all, anything else would be
an affront to the boss, who was only chosen three months ago
.
But is the certainty still valid?
Shortly before the meeting yesterday, a survey was published: In North Rhine-Westphalia only one in four is satisfied with the work of the Prime Minister, compared to January the number has dropped by an incredible
34 percentage points
:
an image in free fall
, and that in their own state.
Laschet's mantra is yes:
surveys are smoke and
mirrors
.
Even if the numbers spoke against him, he has always had success in the past.
Laschet's colleagues on the Board of Directors and the Presidium could have doubts as to whether this
rule will apply forever
.
Various groups met yesterday evening to sound out the situation for today.
Enlarge image
Union politicians Laschet, Brinkhaus, Dobrindt, Söder
Photo: Tobias Schwarz / REUTERS
The question remains as to what
role the group has
in the decision-making process.
Wolfgang Schäuble, the longest-serving CDU member and President of the Bundestag, spoke out against letting the Bundestag members vote on the candidate, as did Ralph Brinkhaus, the parliamentary group leader.
CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt warned the group yesterday that the parliamentary group had a "natural right to have a say", that it was an "essential body in decision-making".
He must have spoken from the soul of those who
feared entering the Bundestag in
view of the
disastrous polls of the Union and its chairman
.
The decision should now be made in a few days, at the latest after ten, as Markus Söder demanded yesterday.
No matter how the duel ends:
Söder will not come out as a loser
.
He laid the rhetorical foundations for this yesterday: "If the CDU were ready and wants to support me, then I am ready." Or in other words:
If you don't want me, it's your own fault.
It will be an exciting day in Berlin, and
an existential one for Armin Laschet
.
CDU boss after showdown with Söder: Laschet's hardest hours
Long braking distance
Everyone has thought about it, Armin Laschet for five days, the Chancellor for ten days, with some Prime Ministers you have the feeling that thinking is still going on:
How does Germany break the third corona wave?
While the warning calls from the intensive care units are getting louder, politicians in the federal and state levels have so far reacted with
largely inactive
.
How dysfunctional the political system has turned out to be in the past few weeks is one of the most frightening realizations of this pandemic for me.
If the schools open at least partially again today after the Easter break, then the plan
to test
all
students twice a week is
far from being implemented everywhere.
I can tell from my own experience.
Enlarge image
Chancellor Merkel and her head of office Braun
Photo: Kay Nietfeld / dpa
Since Thursday evening there has been a
sudden hustle and bustle in the Chancellery
: Flugs announced what had been hovering over the federal states like a threat for days: The
Infection Protection Act
is to be changed so that
from an incidence of 100 nationwide restrictions
apply - without loopholes for open-minded country leaders.
If the Chancellery wins this power game, then it is also the de facto end of the round that has been the
heart of the pandemic fight
for months
.
The conference of the prime ministers with the chancellor had already died of
a heart attack
before that
.
According to a plan by Chancellor Helge Braun, the proposal for the
"Emergency Brakes Act"
is to be discussed today with the parliamentary groups and decided tomorrow in a special session of the cabinet.
Then it would be the turn of the Bundestag and Bundesrat, and ideally the law could be passed by the end of the week.
But when is the ideal case in the pandemic?
There is
harsh criticism of the project
: In the opposition, in the interest groups of the municipalities, but also in some countries, for example, Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer.
Above all, the idea of the federal government of a uniform rule that from an incidence of 200 the pupils are sent back to distance learning is a problem for some.
The emergency brake has a long braking distance.
If we are lucky, we will stand on the brink of the abyss.
Infection Protection Act: Countries and parliamentary groups are scrambling for uniform corona rules
British glass ball
Pubs and restaurants are opening their outdoor areas to guests, fitness studios can be used again, and libraries and zoos are back in operation.
Sounds like the
Saarland model project
?
No, these are the openings that have been in effect in Great Britain since today.
The government is planning the
second easing step
after the reopening of schools.
The courage of the British government has an epidemiologically justified basis:
Almost every second Briton has now been vaccinated with the first dose
, even if there are now indications that the vaccination campaign could stall.
Enlarge image
Pubs in London are preparing for the first guests after the lockdown
Photo: Frank Augstein / dpa
For us, looking at Great Britain is like looking into the crystal ball: If the vaccination campaign works according to plan and we manage to contain the third wave, the old life could also return to this country in a cautious dose in a few weeks.
In Saarland, by the way, the rate for first-time
vaccinations is 17.5 percent
.
My forecast: the model project could soon be history.
At the latest when the nationwide emergency brake takes effect.
The incidence in Saarland was 121.1 yesterday.
Boris Johnson's vaccination campaign: the kingdom is no longer going according to plan
Story of the day
The harsh criticism of the CDU chairman
Armin Laschet
, who also does not abstain from SPIEGEL, must not allow the wrong reverse conclusion.
It's not that
Markus Söder is
the savior.
The Bavarian Prime Minister also has
Mephistophelian traits
: hungry for power, unscrupulous and adept at glossing over their own failures, this is how many of those who have an insight into his system of rule describe the CSU chancellor candidate.
"He will never be the friendly, patriarchal face of the CSU," writes my colleague
Anna Clauss
about Söder, a comic friend.
"In the Marvel comic world, he could very well take on the role of a supervillain."
I can only recommend your critical look at the master of staging.
CSU boss Markus Söder: In the comic, he would be the super villain
Loser of the day ...
... is AfD boss Jörg Meuthen.
The party convention on the weekend in Dresden was not dominated by him, who is attributed to the more moderate of the right, but by the right-wing extremist Björn Höcke, leading figure of the officially dissolved "wing".
Enlarge image
Party leader Meuthen at the Dresden party congress
Photo: Kay Nietfeld / dpa
Numerous contributions from Höcke and his confidants resulted in remarkable resolutions: The demand, for example, that Germany should leave the EU.
Or that any family reunification for refugees should be rejected.
The AfD has been even further to the right since this weekend than before.
And Meuthen even further on the sidelines.
My colleague Severin Weiland was at the AfD party conference in Dresden, you can read his analysis here.
AfD federal party conference: The Höcke factor
The latest news from the night
"Nomadland" honored as best film at the Bafta Awards:
With four prizes for "Nomadland" at the Bafta Awards, the US drama by Chinese director Chloé Zhao has further consolidated its role as a favorite for the Oscars
1. FC Köln separates from coach Gisdol:
1. FC Köln has confirmed the separation from coach Markus Gisdol.
The move took place after the 2: 3 home defeat against relegation competitor Mainz 05. According to media reports, Friedhelm Funkel will be his successor
Matsuyama is the first Japanese to win a major tournament:
For the first time in the history of the Masters, a golfer from Japan wins: Hideki Matsuyama triumphs in Augusta.
In the end, a single stroke was enough for him
The SPIEGEL + recommendations for today
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Political influence on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Co .: Why the censor in Turkey could soon decide what we are allowed to see
I wish you a good start into the new week.
Your Martin Knobbe
