Kretschmer considers the K question decided
The CDU/CSU wants to officially choose its candidate for chancellor in the fall. However, Saxony's Minister President Kretschmer does not believe in a surprise winner. He believes that CDU leader Merz is already set. The head of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia had recently remained tellingly vague.
From the point of view of Saxony's head of government Michael Kretschmer, the debate about the CDU's candidacy for chancellor has already been settled in favor of CDU leader Friedrich Merz. When asked whether the K question had already been decided, the CDU politician told the Funke Mediengruppe: "Yes, I think so." He continued: "Friedrich Merz is chairman of the CDU and the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag - and is very much supported by Markus Söder, Alexander Dobrindt and myself in his candidacy," said Kretschmer. The official decision will be made in the fall, Kretschmer said. "And that clearly begins after the state elections." The state parliaments in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg will be re-elected in September.
It was only at the weekend that North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister President Hendrik Wüst warned the CDU/CSU against premature debates on the candidacy for Chancellor - and avoided making a commitment to Merz. When asked whether he would not like to see Merz as the candidate for chancellor, the CDU politician told the newspaper "Bild am Sonntag": "I hope that we as the CDU/CSU do not make it too easy for the Chaos-Ampel by holding personnel debates at the wrong time." That is why he is not contributing to the debate himself. "The CDU and CSU will clarify the issue together as agreed in the year before the general election."
Dobrindt sees Merz as the favorite
CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt recently confirmed that Merz is the clear favorite in the race for the chancellor candidacy. The next general election is scheduled to take place in the fall of 2025.
In 2021, Bavaria's Minister President Markus Söder left the Union's candidacy for chancellor to then CDU leader Armin Laschet after a bitter power struggle. Wüst has not yet expressed any open ambitions to run for chancellor among the Christian Democrats, but has not denied it either. In August, Söder spoke out in favor of not selecting the Union's candidate for chancellor until after the 2024 elections in East Germany.
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Saxony's Minister President Kretschmer and CSU regional group leader Dobrindt both support CDU leader Merz as the favored candidate for chancellor. When asked about the K question, Kretschmer stated that he believes Merz is already set to be the CDU's choice, with the support of Söder, Dobrindt, and himself. Despite Wüst's vague statements and avoiding committing to Merz publicly, he has not ruled out the possibility of Merz becoming the candidate for chancellor.
Source: www.ntv.de
