Markus Söder obviously has the nose in the race for the candidacy for chancellor.
But is he more suitable than Armin Laschet?
The rivals compare him.
Munich / Berlin - Showdown in the power struggle for the Union chancellor candidacy: Markus Söder * wanted to prove in the Union parliamentary group meeting on Wednesday that he has more support from the CDU and CSU than his rival Armin Laschet *.
The CDU boss originally did not want to speak at the meeting - but Söder's appearance in front of the MPs forced Laschet into a duel.
Laschet said in his speech: “We don't need a one-man show”.
Söder explained that for an election victory, the CDU * and CSU * needed the "maximum best line-up to be successful - not just the most pleasant one".
It was eagerly awaited whether Söder could push through a vote in the parliamentary group.
The CDU forces at the top of the parliamentary group wanted to prevent a vote.
Who will win the duel?
The check.
Armin Laschet (CDU):
Career:
Laschet grew up in a miner's family in Aachen.
The 60-year-old realized his wish to become a journalist after studying law for Bavarian television and the private broadcaster Radio Charivari in Munich.
In 1991 he became editor-in-chief of the church newspaper for the diocese of Aachen.
From 1995 to 1999 he was managing director of the Einhard publishing house in Aachen before he switched entirely to politics.
At the age of 28, Laschet was already a councilor in Aachen, and later a member of the Bundestag (1994–1998) and the European Parliament (1999–2005).
Strengths:
Der Spiegel calls Laschet the "Rocky Balboa of politics" - after the film character created by Silvester Stallone of a boxer, "who never had the hardest blow, but could take the most."
In other words: Laschet has suffered a number of defeats, but kept getting up.
In 1998, after four years in the Bundestag, he lost his constituency and in 2010 against Norbert Röttgen, he lost his election as NRW CDU chief.
This tenacity finally made him NRW Prime Minister: The SPD incumbent Hannelore Kraft was still six months before the election, miles ahead of the always underrated Laschet, who won in the end.
Weaknesses:
Unlike Söder, Laschet made a number of embarrassing appearances during the Corona crisis - starting with the mask he was wearing incorrectly under his nose to the messed up appearance on Lanz's talk show.
He also likes to duck when things get politically sensitive, for example during the debate about clearing the Hambach Forest.
Passions:
Laschet likes to smoke cigarillos and is a Tatort fan: “My favorite inspectors are the people of Cologne and Munich.” On New Year's Day 2020, Laschet played in an episode - in the role of Prime Minister.
Family:
Laschet met his future wife Susanne in elementary school.
He has three grown children with the bookseller: Johannes, Eva and Julius.
Johannes is a fashion blogger and caused a stir because he had given an advertising partner access to state orders for corona protective equipment.
Chancellor trustworthiness:
Unlike Söder, the always binding Laschet lacks the degree of rigor that is probably necessary in the Chancellery.
For this he has - also in contrast to the polarizing Söder - the gift of mediating and bringing together different opinions.
In NRW he has shown that he can lead a state government with a one-vote majority together with the FDP without a sound.
Just as he has already involved the inner-party wings in the NRW CDU, after the election as CDU leader he approached the disappointed camp around Friedrich Merz, who is now supporting him in the power struggle against Söder.
In addition, Laschet has a clear moral compass and was one of the few Union politicians who clearly supported Angela Merkel's refugee policy - out of conviction, after all, he was nationwide first integration minister from 2005 to 2010
Markus Söder (CSU):
Career:
The 54-year-old from Nuremberg was extremely ambitious even as a teenager, a model student.
One of his teachers also reported to Die Zeit that Söder also had a “lack of empathy” and “always saw himself in competition with the group”.
He enjoyed his ones most when the others only had three.
Söder studied law, completed a traineeship at BR, where he gained the media experience that is one of his great strengths today.
Already at the age of 27 he moved into the Bavarian state parliament, nine years later he became CSU general secretary, where he became as controversial as it was known with campaigns such as "Save the Mainzelmännchen".
At the age of 40, the CSU rewarded his talent with a ministerial office in Bavaria - he became head of the federal and European affairs department.
This is followed by the environment and finance departments.
After the brutal power struggle with Horst Seehofer, he finally became Prime Minister in 2018 and CSU chief in January 2019.
Strengths:
Even his opponents attest Söder hard work, tenacity and a great talent for communication.
The fact that he became the most popular Union politician in the Corona crisis is certainly related to the fact that he can get to the heart of the pandemic dangers and the measures more clearly and pointedly than most other politicians.
Weaknesses:
The “tendency to filthy things”, which his party friend Horst Seehofer once attested to, is now evident again in the power struggle against Laschet.
His ambition leads him to ruthlessness - also when dealing with subordinates or other politicians, whom he always lets feel that he feels superior.
In addition, he avoids direct contact with citizens - atypical for a CSU politician - and only sits down at the table with his supporters after a pub talk, for example.
Passions:
He already drinks Diet Coke at breakfast, he hardly ever drinks alcohol - which would have been a real disadvantage in the CSU's Franz Josef Strauss days.
Söder loves tennis and football (he is a member of 1. FC Nürnberg) as well as the Star Wars films and the Game of Thrones series.
Family:
Söder has been married to Karin Baumüller-Söder, the daughter of a Nuremberg mechanical engineering entrepreneur, since 1999.
The couple has a daughter (21) and two sons (17 and 14).
In addition, Söder has an illegitimate daughter born in 1998.
The otherwise media-conscious Söder largely keeps the family out of the public eye, but he likes to present his dogs Molly and Bella on social media.
Suitability for Chancellor:
In the Corona crisis, Söder was able to score nationwide, as his talent for clear announcements and media-effective appearances came into its own.
With his constant emphasis on “Bavarian superiority”, however, he will have a hard time convincing all Germans as a candidate in the election campaign.
But it is also clear that Söder would be in a better position than Laschet to strengthen the conservative profile of the Union and thus take away votes from the AfD *.
* Merkur.de / bayern is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA