The CDU prepares to elect the successor of Angela Merkel
The candidates happen to Angela Merkel in front of the German conservatives ‘
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has called this Friday to the cohesion within its ranks and has defended the way a centrist for his party, in his last speech as leader of the christian democratic Union (CDU) and before the congress that will elect his successor.
“18 years Ago, in my first speech as president, I asked to go to the grain to a very difficult situation for the party,” he said, opening his speech, in allusion to the scandal of finance spot that is then revealed in the CDU, under the so-called “was” Helmut Kohl and by moving the party to the opposition.
Struggled to “overcome” this situation, he continued, and many years and many elections later,” the challenge now is to “remain united” and “lead us”, always from the vocation centrist that characterizes the CDU.
Are moments of strong “social polarization”, which is compounded by the emergence of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the panorama of parliamentary German, reminded Merkel, to highlight here the need to distinguish these pathways.
“We don’t encourage hatred or isolate anyone”, “we do not discriminate against anyone”, “we do not make differences between the respect for human dignity,” he proclaimed, to insist that since the CDU “we we uncheck those who do” and “we represent the democratic values.”
Merkel has reminded that his block conservative has led Germany for more than fifty years -in allusion to the five chancellors of federal, arising out of their rows, of the total of eight that the country has had – and that the goal now is to “continue to lead”.
Without expressing a clear support to any of the three aspirants to the succession, the leader of the party has alluded to one of the three -the general secretary, loyal to your line, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer – of who recalled that the party had achieved in his ‘Land’, the Saarland, over 40% of the votes.
The speech of Merkel, whom the congress had already received in the opening with a strong ovation, was interrupted by frequent applause, especially when the leader has expressed his appreciation to its most loyal partners, whose names are not necessarily the most well-known among the common citizen.
it Has been a speech shorter than usual -half an hour, compared to 90 minutes of common-much more emotional than is characteristic of what she called, ironically, “the dryness itself of Merkel”.
To the 1,001 delegates of the congress, held in Hamburg, is responsible to elect the new dome to the full, in addition to the Presidency, in what is expected to a pulse between the wing continuo and the right turn to the aspiring part of the TOU.
Three are candidates to the chieftaincy: Kramp-Karrenbauer, 56-year-old and nicknamed AKK, representative of the wing loyal to the line of Merkel, while the former head of the parliamentary group, Friedrich Merz, of 63 years, and the minister of Health, Jens Spahn, of 38, representing the current right-wing.
The preferences of Merkel, despite their supposed neutrality, but lean towards AKK, while several big names of the party, as the president of Parliament, Wolfgang Schäuble, support Merz.
does Not rule out that in the congress arising out of other alternative candidacies, since the statutes of the training contemplate such a possibility, he recalled yesterday, the executive secretary of the CDU, Klaus Schüler, after the last meeting of the party leadership.
The speech of Merkel and shift interventions around it will follow the presentation of the candidates, the corresponding discussion and questions, after which we will proceed to the election of the presidency about 18:00.
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