BERLIN — Germany’s governing Christian Democratic Union has decided to postpone a decision on who will replace Chancellor Angela Merkel at the top of the party until early next year, according to Reuters.
The meeting of 1,001 delegates from the CDU was originally expected to take place in April this year, but due to the coronavirus officials from the party agreed to kick the date back to December. Germany’s next federal election is due to be held in autumn 2021.
As coronavirus cases soar across Germany, the party leadership decided on Monday to further postpone the congress until January 16, 2021 — possibly including a digital format and postal voting.
Three candidates are running to replace Merkel. They include Armin Laschet, the prime minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Norbert Röttgen, who chairs the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee, and corporate lawyer Friedrich Merz. Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer will remain party leader until a decision is made.
Merz, who is not included in the CDU leadership circle making the decision, said he wanted to move forward with the December 4 date. “The postponement of the party congress is a decision against the CDU base,†he said in a statement.
After 15 years in power, the Christian Democrats remain clearly ahead in national polling.
