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CDU politician Laschet: A power struggle for his successor has broken out in North Rhine-Westphalia
Photo: Michael Kappeler / dpa
Armin Laschet is apparently working on the plan to continue as Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia if he does not become Chancellor.
This is suggested by discussions that are currently being held in the North Rhine-Westphalian state association of the CDU, of which Laschet is still chairman.
Since Laschet was elected CDU chairman in January, he originally wanted to give up the state chairmanship as soon as possible.
Laschet now wants to postpone the state party conference of the NRW CDU, which will take place in early summer and at which the successor should be clarified, to October - to the time after the federal election.
Several members of the state executive confirmed this to SPIEGEL, the »Süddeutsche Zeitung« had previously reported.
The postponement is probably the attempt by the Union's candidate for chancellor to keep a back door open in Düsseldorf.
If he does not win the Bundestag election in September, he could stay as head of state in North Rhine-Westphalia and run again as the top candidate of the CDU in the state elections in 2022.
According to SPIEGEL information, Laschet has held talks in the past few days to prepare for the postponement of the state party conference.
The state board of the NRW-CDU meets on Monday evening, and the date of the party congress will probably be decided.
A postponement to October is officially justified by the fact that the party congress should take place with around 700 people in attendance, which was not yet possible in early summer due to the pandemic.
Personnel issues are probably the real reason for the later scheduling.
A power struggle over the possible successor to Laschet has broken out in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Three people from the cabinet have ambitions, that can be heard from party circles.
Interior Minister Herbert Reul would therefore like to become head of the country, he was previously considered a transition candidate.
Ina Scharrenbach, Minister for Homeland, Local Affairs, Building and Equality, is also said to have registered claims as possible party chairman and Prime Minister.
However, Transport Minister Hendrik Wüst currently has the best chances for both posts.
With a view to the complicated Union Chancellor Candidate, Wüst recently said: "One thing is clear: We in North Rhine-Westphalia will not repeat a theater like the one in Berlin over the past few days." But that is exactly what it looks like at the moment.
There are first voices in the NRW CDU accusing Laschet of taking care of the question of his successor far too late.
In talks he is said to have promised to move to Berlin even in the event of a defeat in the federal election.
Some in the state executive therefore prefer a faster personnel decision and an earlier state party conference.
Should Laschet not be able to enforce his plans on Monday, it would be a defeat in their own national association and a bad start to the election campaign.
If he manages to postpone the state party conference, Laschet would have to be accused of not being convinced of his chances of winning the federal election.