German Chancellor Angela Merkel's party is choosing a new leader this weekend, a decision which will have huge implications for the upcoming federal elections later this year. 

Merkel, now 66, has been a mainstay of politics dominating Germany, and often the European Union (EU), since 2005. More than two years ago she announced that she wouldn't seek a fifth term as chancellor.

Now her center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party is seeking its second new leader since she quit that role in 2018. That person will either run for chancellor in Germany's September 26 election or have significant influence over which party members could emerge as candidates.

 

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Current leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, elected in 2018, announced her resignation last February after a series of electoral failures and failing to impose her authority on the party. 

A decision on her successor was repeatedly delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, but eventually the CDU decided to hold an online convention. That takes place this weekend and delegates from Germany's strongest party can choose Saturday between three main candidates, all male, who differ markedly in style. There's no clear favorite.

Overall Merkel dominated the center ground in German politics, forming a so-called 'grand coalition' government with the center-left Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) three times during her long run as chancellor. 

Working together, the two parties legalised same-sex marriage and granted asylum for one million migrants and refugees mostly from war-torn Syria and Afghanistan, drawing fierce criticism from the CDU's right wing. 

 

Friedrich Merz

During the CDU's 2018 leadership contest, contender Friedrich Merz made headlines questioning Germany's constitutional guarantee to grant asylum, three years after the refugee crisis. This position put him firmly on the right of the center-right party. 

Merz, who narrowly lost in 2018, is trying again this year. Now 65, he's seeking to attract conservatives disillusioned with Merkel's reign, while stressing that he won't move "one millimeter" toward the controversial far-right Alternative for Germany party. 

 

 

A former chairman of the powerful Atlantik-Brücke association, which promotes a deepening of U.S.-German ties and understanding, Merz is a staunch supporter of NATO and the EU, backing a closer union and the development of military forces for the bloc. 

A one-time rival to Merkel, Merz has been out of frontline politics since leaving German parliament in 2009. In the meantime he practiced as a lawyer and headed the supervisory board at the German branch of investment manager BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager.

 

Armin Laschet

While Merz has been out of the political limelight for a decade, Armin Laschet is steeped in recent political experience. The 59-year-old is the incumbent Minister-president of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state and traditionally a center-left stronghold. 

In a debate among the candidates, Laschet laid out his qualifications: "What I bring is government experience, the leadership of a big state, balancing different interests and – this perhaps doesn't hurt for a CDU leader – having won an election."

 

 

Laschet is seen by many as the Merkel continuity candidate, but ongoing involvement in government may be a hindrance to his chances. Of the three candidates, he is the only one to have been at the forefront in the handling of the coronavirus outbreak. 

While the CDU in general has been viewed favourably for its handling of the crisis, Laschet's interventions have drawn criticism, notably when advocating a loosening restrictions after the outbreak's first phase.

 

Norbert Roettgen

Proclaiming himself as the candidate for the "modern center," Norbert Roettgen, 55, has emphasised his commitment to issues such as fighting climate change, 

Roettgen was Germany's environment minister from 2009-12 before being fired by Merkel upon losing the 2012 state election in North Rhine-Westphalia. An architect of Germany's green energy transition plans, Roettgen might help stave off the threat from the country's surging Green Party. 

 

 

The current chairman of parliament's foreign affairs committee, Roettgen long been considered an outsider but surveys have shown him gaining ground among CDU supporters. He suggested last week he would be a palatable alternative to backers of both Merz and Laschet.

"I am not in one camp," he said. "I stand for everyone, and I think those who don't vote for me will be able to live with me and will accept me if I am elected."