“You don't want people as Chancellor”: Laschet provokes viewers in the election arena - he struggles to maintain his composure

Armin Laschet is confronted with some provocative questions in the ARD “Wahlarena”.

When it comes to the Union candidate for chancellor, the CDU man is serious.

Lübeck - The first is to show federal Germany on public television.

The fact that ARD should succeed in this with its election arena with CDU chancellor candidate Armin Laschet was obviously the goal because of the selection of guests from north to south, from west to east.

But that such a connection between Berlin, Lübeck, Düsseldorf and Munich was not to be expected.

There, in Berlin, is the Federal Chancellery.

For 16 years it has been administered by the union of the German CDU and the Bavarian sister CSU, in the person of Angela Merkel (CDU), who is still head of government.

ARD election arena: CDU chancellor candidate Armin Laschet posed provocative questions in Lübeck

High up in the north, in the port of Lübeck, Armin Laschet, who is supposed to defend the Chancellery in Berlin politically, answered questions from the audience in the ARD election arena.

The 60-year-old from Aachen was also confronted with polarizing theses.

Looking to the west, to Düsseldorf, where he has been Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia since 2017, he tried to answer almost all of the questions.

“With us in North Rhine-Westphalia” was followed by the note “that we are in North Rhine-Westphalia” paired with “that is, in North Rhine-Westphalia”.

As if a state election, not a federal election in 2021 (September 26th) were imminent.

ARD election arena with CDU chancellor candidate Armin Laschet: Suddenly it's about Markus Söder from the CSU

The pan to the south, to Munich, where Markus Söder of the CSU is Prime Minister, could not be missing in the end.

Suddenly Söder was present, but not even his name was mentioned.

As a reminder: in the spring, the CDU had declared Laschet from the Rhineland to be a joint candidate for chancellor.

Franke Söder and his CSU did not want to accept that for a long time.

And, according to many stories, not many party friends in the CDU either.

This is exactly what Laschet caught up with now - in front of an audience of millions.

Why didn't you step down from your candidacy for chancellor?

Question to CDU boss Armin Laschet in the ARD "election arena"

Specifically: A guest asked the CDU politician a tough question and referred to an election poster of the same name: “When I look at the polls last, it becomes clear that people don't want you to be the Union's candidate for chancellor. If you care about the people, because it is about Germany: why have you not resigned from your candidacy for chancellor long ago? ”Silence. It took Laschet a moment to collect himself. And another to go back and forth.

To classify: In August, for example, the opinion research institute Civey found out for the

Augsburger Allgemeine

that more than 70 percent of Union supporters would have preferred to see 54-year-old Söder as candidate for Chancellor of the sister parties.

It is not known whether the television in Söders' Munich office was flickering at that moment on Wednesday evening (September 15) in the Bavarian State Chancellery.

Laschet's answer was broadcast in millions of living rooms.

In the video: CDU / CSU before the federal election - Markus Söder sees signs of a turnaround

“What did you think of the idea that we’ll let the people decide on September 26th which party to vote for.

Wouldn't it be a good idea? ", Said Armin Laschet in the direction of the viewer, who also located in North Rhine-Westphalia.

“Democracy doesn't mean that you give in to every mood and survey.

It is for the citizens to decide for themselves which direction of politics they want.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, in the beautiful country in which you live, in the Ruhr area, especially beautiful, people put their trust in me in 2017, ”explained Laschet.

ARD election arena: CDU candidate for Chancellor Armin Laschets questioned live

Many who would know him still do so today, he continued: “In this respect, I am advertising now, introducing myself, also this evening, and making my arguments. And I think we will vote on September 26th. And each of the three candidates has to accept this result in the end. "

(Pm)