Merz wants to approach the K question “with respect and humility” – he also sees arguments against his candidacy. He doesn't want to repeat a fight like 2021.
Berlin – Is the fight for the candidacy for chancellor between Friedrich Merz and Markus Söder over before it begins? Merz, the chairman of the CDU, firmly believes in this: He and CSU boss Söder have a personal relationship that prevents such disputes, Merz assured the dpa in a conversation published on Friday (December 29):
“Markus Söder and I simply understand each other too well personally,” emphasized Merz. Söder knows that “we will not and do not want to repeat it like it did in 2021.” The CDU chairman added: “I will not allow something like that to happen again.”
The question of dpaWhen asked whether he was the “natural candidate for chancellor” in a new Bundestag election, Merz responded with striking caution: “We are talking about that in the Union between the CDU and CSU. First the party chairmen, then of course also the state chairmen. When the time comes. And we stick to that.” He also wants to talk to his family about such a decision.
Merz views possible candidacy for chancellor “with humility”:
Merz emphasized that he was “approaching this question with great humility and great respect”: “Because I know that this office is the most important office that can be given politically in the Federal Republic of Germany.” A high level of presence is necessary and respect also on an international level. The CDU leader explained that there are a “number of factors” that he would first like to reflect on himself.
Merz also admitted the existence of arguments against a possible candidacy for chancellor. He described possible concerns, for example with regard to the groups of voters to be addressed. Merz admitted that as he will soon be 70 years old, he would be the oldest candidate for chancellor in the history of the Federal Republic after the first CDU chancellor Konrad Adenauer.
According to Merz, the age of the favorites for the presidential candidacy in the USA is “more of a warning” than a relief: He feels fit, but it is not a given that he will be able to carry out the office of Chancellor. When he recently wanted to fly with a Bundeswehr Eurofighter, he was checked at the Bundeswehr Aviation Medical Center “for seven hours – and there were no complaints”.
Merz explains the Union's candidate for chancellor: Two factors decide
Merz explained that the Union's decision on the candidate for chancellor depends on two main factors: the time of the federal election and the necessary lead time for a candidate. A year of preparation is necessary for a scheduled election. According to Merz, a decision would have to be made in autumn 2024 for the regular federal election date in autumn 2025.
Regarding Söder's suggestion that the candidacy for chancellor should only be clarified after the state elections in September 2024, Merz explained: “That could be after these state elections in the east, it could also be before. This is a question of the political assessment of the situation and we will do this together.” He emphasized that, in principle, both the CDU and the CSU chairman are potential candidates. Currently these are Söder and Merz.
Söder recently aimed for another term as Prime Minister, but scored points in polls for the chancellor candidate against Merz and North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst.
Merz “is what he is” – including pointed formulations
In 2023, Merz repeatedly made headlines with drastic formulations, be it the talk of “little pashas” in the ZDF-Talk “Markus Lanz” or the description of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) as the “plumber of power”. For her, Merz now said, this was a means of making “an issue an issue” as opposition leader. This only happens through contradiction. He will continue to do this in the future: “I will not fundamentally change or pretend. I am who I am, with all my strengths and my weaknesses. That's part of it.”
It remains to be seen whether the strengths and weaknesses of the CDU chairman will be convincing in the struggle for the candidacy for chancellor. In addition to Merz and Söder, Wüst is also constantly being discussed as a candidate. SPD leader Saskia Esken did not express a preference: “This is a decision that the CDU and CSU have to make.” The SPD is prepared for any decision, Esken told the dpa. (dpa/LisMah)
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