Fateful days for Laschet: turning point thanks to Merkel or “countdown of the decline in power”?

Armin Laschet has already fought his way up - will he succeed again?

In any case, he is again relying on “good tradition”.

Her name is Angela Merkel.

Berlin - Armin Laschet, beaming with joy, is on stage in Düsseldorf, his supporters cheering in front of him.

The election is won.

Scenes from 2017 - State election in North Rhine-Westphalia.

This is exactly what the CDU boss now wants again.

But this time in the federal election.

But the Union is currently struggling with a poll low.

Not an unknown situation for Laschet.

In 2017, the CDU in North Rhine-Westphalia also fought its way up in the last weeks of the election campaign.

On election day, the Christian Democrats landed in front of the SPD.

Laschet probably remembers this again and again when he reacts calmly to journalists' questions about the bad poll results.

But does this strategy work again?

Or is Laschet and Union threatened with a big crash?

Experts have different assessments ready.

Bundestag election: Laschet relies on “good tradition” - Merkel comes to Aachen

People who already played a role in 2017: Chancellor Angela Merkel and Friedrich Merz. The former parliamentary group leader can now be seen more often at Laschet's side. The chancellor candidate brought him on to the team at a comparatively early stage, repeatedly presenting him as the face of economic and financial policy. It looks a little different with Merkel. For a long time she kept very quiet. She didn't want to get involved in the election campaign if she wasn't running anymore. But then, at the latest when her presumably last speech in the Bundestag, she backed her possible successor aggressively.

Laschet is pleased. Above all because he can continue a “good tradition” with her: There will be several joint appearances in the final phase of the Bundestag election campaign. "The Chancellor is intervening in the election campaign, that is a good signal," he said on Monday. And she comes back to his home in Aachen. He celebrated a home game there in 2017 on the last day before the election. “I want to be prime minister,” he shouted at the time. This time it will be: "I want to be Chancellor."

Laschet knows of the radiance of such an appearance - after all, Merkel managed to win a total of four federal elections.

"Since that was successful, the recipe, we will now use it again," he said on Monday about her visit in 2017. Laschet will also campaign again in Bavaria.

The final rally will then take place with Merkel, CSU leader Markus Söder and himself on the Nockherberg on the Friday before the general election.

Surveys before the federal election: "Some undecided and voters are coming back to the Union"

Laschet also recently presented its “immediate program”.

A few more precise details, but much was already known from the Union's electoral program.

Whether the appearances and the content will be sufficient in the end will be shown on September 26th.

"The Union still has an additional potential of 16 percentage points," says at least the head of the opinion research institute Insa, Hermann Binkert, of the

picture

.

A Jamaica coalition of the Union, Greens and FDP remains a chance for Laschet to become Chancellor.

In the “trend barometer” on Tuesday, the Union went up again a little.

"Some undecided and voters are coming back to the Union who had flirted with the FDP," says Forsa boss Manfred Güllner to

Bild

.

“Countdown of the decline in power”: Can Armin Laschet still score points with his earlier winning strategy?

The political scientist Karl-Rudolf Korte also considers the outcome of the federal election to be open.

However, his prognosis goes in the other direction.

"We will have an election evening with several chancellor options - not just one," he told the

Rhein-Zeitung

.

It will be a historic election in which there could be two possible chancellors on election evening.

The question then is who can forge a government alliance.

“The second can also be the winner in the end if he can shape majorities.” Regarding the union with Chancellor candidate Laschet, Korte said: “There is also a countdown of the decline in power, after 16 years that is not unexpected.

An emperor could have run for office, he would not have stopped that either. "

(Cibo / dpa / AFP)

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