There is Armin Laschet, 59, now in front of the microphones in the düsseldorf state Chancellery, and looks a little contrite. It is Monday afternoon and Laschet has to announce in his function as Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Corona-restrictions in the district of Gütersloh can be extended by a week.

can, However, Laschet time. Exactly twelve minutes and 20 seconds long, he explains, first, how early and what measures have he and his government taken to the Corona onset in the slaughterhouse Tönnies curb. “We have succeeded due to our very rapid containment measures, the infection happen in fixed limit,” says Laschet. It is a self-praise that has to do with the public perception a lot. Because Laschet is accused of, he had resorted to in the case of Tönnies, much too late hard.

leaders are accustomed to how to deal with criticism. That’s part of their business like the waves of the sea. But Laschet, also a politician in waiting. He wants to be at the CDU party Congress in December, party leader and has brought to it in February, Federal Minister of health, Jens Spahn, 40, to the Team. At the time the statement was seen as a Coup: the experienced and more liberal Laschet together with the young and conservative Spahn. Spahn is to secure Laschet at the party in the majority, then the Chancellor candidacy. In exchange, Spahn can hope for a major office, for example, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group Chairman. Germany – Your chances

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But in the meantime Laschet-doubt in the Union sympathizers, whether the Prime Minister would be a suitable CDU leader and candidate for Chancellor – and whether Spahn has not placed the wrong bet.

The conversations about it are not open. You will be guided in the Background, in the Bundestag offices, or for lunch or dinner. And therefore must not be quoted from, too. But the talks reflect a part of the mood in the party CDU.

Spahn would be at the Moment, even a fairly promising candidate. Anyway, he is in the Public domain is the most popular CDU politicians to Angela Merkel. In the weekly policy ranking of the Institute Insa for FOCUS Spahn is stable in fourth place – behind the Chancellor, Markus Söder (CSU) and Olaf Scholz (SPD). The official candidates for the CDU Chairman Friedrich Merz, Armin Laschet and Norbert Röttgen, have on the places eight, nine and ten clear of residue.

There are two scenarios for Jens Spahn

In the Corona-crisis have shown Spahn that he could take responsibility, says a Confidant of the Federal Executive. “His handling of the Corona pandemic was confident and well thought out. This has one or the other skeptics in our party to fall silent.“ The strong I

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Spahn has been a bearer of hope, particularly of younger CDU politician. In the election for party presidency in 2018, he took up surprisingly against Annegret Kramp-karrenbauer, and Friedrich Merz, and received in the first ballot, 15.7 percent of the vote. A Respect For Success.

older party friends Spahns services to recognize. He is said to have developed from an impatient Merkel-critics a real support in the Cabinet, it says. He was working well with the Chancellor.

Might be getting off Spahn at all from the Tandem with Laschet?

Spahn emphasized that he wanted to remain in the Team. He had decided in February “aware” of the double solution. But from Spahns environment, it means that he sign up with displeasure, as the mood against Laschet turn.

Union leaders are discussing how Spahn could be moved to a candidacy – without that, one could accuse him of disloyalty and excessive ambition. There are two scenarios. In the first Laschet would have to pull out shortly before the Congress, his candidacy and the way for Spahn free. In the second scenario, prominent party would be able to invite friends Spahn to the public, but to stand for the party presidency. Also, that should happen a few weeks before the party Congress.

There is also a third scenario. And in the case of the CSU chief Söder enters the game. Bayer recommends for months as a caring and courageous, hands-on Prime Minister, for the Post of the Union candidate for Chancellor. It is a long-distance duel with Laschet.

On questions to the Chancellor candidacy Söder responded, although still evasive. He excludes nothing, but says nothing. But he omitted to journalists Recently on the addition, he can see his place in the future in Bavaria.

However, as Söder, if he wanted to, Chancellor candidate of the Union? It would work only if the next CDU-chief would be willing to give up on this candidacy.

Söder and Röttgen Form a Team?

It is considered unlikely that Laschet or Merz choose to CDU Chairman and a few weeks later, a CSU-politician in the K-question of precedence would allow. For Merz, the Chancellery is a life-long dream. And Laschet will not expose themselves to the accusation that he had can not prevail. Finally, it is elected in the spring of 2022 in NRW, a new Parliament. Since leadership is required.

so Spahn and Röttgen. The CDU foreign policy expert said this week in the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”, the next CDU-chief should not necessarily be candidate for Chancellor: “He must accept, if necessary, also the other role.” Röttgen, thus forming an unofficial Team with Söder. He seems to want to bind the CDU delegates, the preference for the CSU-in-chief as a candidate for Chancellor. A comprehensible, if the same daring maneuver: vote for me so that it can be a different. The is not a choice.

In the CDU, you now require clarity about what Söder really. Union group Vice Carsten Linnemann calls, the CSU may still be declared before the CDU party Congress, whether she wanted to put up a candidate for Chancellor. Because the decision for a new CDU chief was “inevitably with the question of the candidacy for Chancellor.” Otherwise, warns Linnemann, there are “tensions that could harm the Union as a whole.”

So, Corona does not force the possible candidate for Chancellor, to keep the physical distance. You also need to increase its political distance from each other.

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