German centre-right seek breakthough in chancellor candidate choice

By dpa correspondents
Berlin (dpa) – The two candidates to lead Germany’s governing conservatives into elections in September continued separate – and ever more frantic – negotiations on Monday, with a crunch meeting set for later in the day.

One of the candidates, Armin Laschet, the leader of the CDU, said he would propose a way out of the deadlock at a party meeting later. He hoped for a final decision “very quickly, this week,” he said.

He invited his rival, Markus Soeder, to the online gathering. Soeder is head of the CDU’s Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU).

Together, the CDU/CSU conservative bloc – which is currently in coalition government with the Social Democrats (SPD) – traditionally chooses a single candidate for chancellor.

But this year, the head of each party wants the job, and there’s no sign that either is willing to back down.

After a CSU meeting on Monday, Soeder said it was up to the much larger CDU to decide the way forward.

“We as the CSU and also myself will respect whatever decision is taken,” he said, emphasizing that it was time to come to a decision and it was up to the CDU to decide how this will happen.

Germany’s centre-right alliance is the largest bloc in parliament, and, despite sliding poll numbers, the successor to Chancellor Angela Merkel is still likely to come from its ranks.

Senior CDU party figures have fallen in line behind Laschet, and Soeder has the loyalty of his CSU. Laschet, however, has low national poll ratings compared to Soeder, and CDU lawmakers fear losing more seats in parliament at election time.

Influential members of the bloc have put pressure on the two candidates to end the bickering.

With no agreement between the two men, much debate is now focused on whether an internal vote of some kind could break the deadlock.

Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised to stay out of the competition.