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Norbert Röttgen (archive recording): There can be »only one CDU team« »and not somehow team chairman and others are not team chairmen«
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Michael Kappeler / dpa
On this Tuesday afternoon, Friedrich Merz wants to present the team with which he wants to apply for the CDU chairmanship.
His opponent Norbert Röttgen doesn't like that.
With a view to the community spirit in the party, Merz did not seem to be "a methodically correct approach," said Röttgen at the "Economic Summit" of the "Süddeutsche Zeitung".
There could be "only one CDU team", "and not somehow team chairman and others are not team chairmen," complained Röttgen.
For his part, he announced last week that if he was elected, Franziska Hoppermann, a member of the Bundestag, would be proposed as Secretary General.
After the historically poor result in the federal election, the CDU wants to have its new party chairman determined by the members for the first time in December.
In addition to Röttgen and Merz, the previous Chancellery Minister Helge Braun has also announced his candidacy to succeed Armin Laschet.
Merz was unanimously nominated as an applicant for the party chairmanship on Monday evening by his district association Hochsauerland.
He lost twice in the past few years, now he's daring the third attempt.
Röttgen, who had already announced his candidacy on Friday, was unanimously nominated by the CDU district executive Rhein-Sieg.
In addition to the two, the executive head of the Chancellery, Helge Braun, is also applying to succeed Armin Laschet as CDU chairman.
Braun was proposed by the CDU district association Gießen last Friday.
After the application deadline on Wednesday evening, applicants can introduce themselves to the base for two weeks.
The new chairman is to be elected by the 1001 delegates at a party congress in Hanover on January 21, after a survey of around 400,000 CDU members planned in December.
as / AFP / dpa