The ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party in Germany has announced Armin Laschet as its new leader.
According to German broadcaster (DW), Armin Laschet, the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, won the run-off election held online for the presidency of the CDU, the party of Chancellor Angela Merkel, defeating his rival Friedrich Merz. The broadcaster explained that, according to the internal voting results, Laschet received a majority with 521 votes out of 1001 delegates invited to vote, surpassing Friedrich Merz, who received 466 votes. Merz, a historical competitor of Chancellor Merkel and an advocate for steering the party towards a right-wing conservative direction, won the first round with 385 votes, whereas Laschet garnered 380 votes. Norbert Röttgen came in third with 224 votes, narrowing the competition in the second round to Laschet and Merz.
The broadcaster added that Laschet, known for his support of Merkel's policies, mentioned in his candidacy speech during the party's online conference, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that voters would not cast their ballots for the CDU based on past achievements, describing the new decade as the "decade of modernization" and calling for the party to become a factory of ideas once again.
With Laschet's victory in the party presidency, succeeding current Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, he is now positioned to lead the conservative camp in the upcoming general elections scheduled for September.
It is noteworthy that this marks the second time in two years that conservative politician Friedrich Merz has failed to lead the CDU.
Armin Laschet, 59, has three children and has served as the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia since June 27, 2017, which is Germany's most populous state. He also serves as one of five vice-presidents of the CDU and as the party leader in his state.
