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The former Union Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet (CDU, left) in the summer of 2021 next to CSU boss Markus Söder
Photo: Kay Nietfeld / dpa
Do two party leaders meet and talk to each other?
"Obviously" the wrong way to choose a chancellor candidate, says the former CDU leader, party leader Armin Laschet today.
There is still some way to go before the next federal election, but in a conversation with the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” Laschet has already thought about how the Union can position itself better on Chancellor issues in the future.
Laschet had first won in 2021 and then lost: in a long power struggle with CSU boss Markus Söder, he had fought for the Union’s chancellor candidacy, but then – severely damaged by the internal skirmish – lost to Olaf Scholz in the federal election.
Now Laschet is purified - and is thinking about alternative ways for the Union to determine a candidate for chancellor in the future.
Laschet is pushing for a new procedure
"It is necessary for the Union to develop a new process for selecting its candidate for chancellor in the future," he said in an interview.
"The procedure that two party leaders meet and discuss is obviously wrong." Laschet does not offer a solution.
The back and forth between Laschet and Söder had occupied the CDU and CSU for several months in the election year.
The Bavarian Prime Minister lost to Laschet, but continued to tease him during the election campaign.
The CDU subsequently accused Söder of having weakened the joint chancellor candidate Laschet with public statements - and thus being responsible for the defeat in the federal elections in autumn.
"The situation from 2021 could occur again, so it is wise to agree on a path well before the next federal election," says Laschet now.
"We have all made it our goal in the Union that 2021 must not be repeated," he added.
After three attempts, the new party leader of the CDU has been Friedrich Merz since the beginning of 2022.
mrc/dpa
