Andreas Kluth, Columnist

Armin Laschet Will Lead the CDU, But Not Necessarily Germany

By choosing Laschet as their leader, the conservatives signal continuity with the Merkel era. But the next chancellor could be Markus Soeder.

January 16, 2021 at 11:41 AM UTC

By Andreas Kluth

Andreas Kluth is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering US diplomacy, national security and geopolitics. Previously, he was editor-in-chief of Handelsblatt Global and a writer for the Economist.

Laschet wins the day.
Photographer: Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images

Provide news feedback or report an error

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

This article is for subscribers only.

Armin Laschet, the jovial but somewhat lightweight premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, is of course relieved and elated to be the new boss of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union, after a surprisingly tight race among three contenders. And so is Chancellor Angela Merkel.

That’s because Laschet is the only one of the trio who bears no personal grudge against her. He’s also the one who most explicitly represents continuity with the Merkel era, which began for the party 21 years ago when she became its leader, and for the country 16 years ago when she took the helm of government.