Chancellor election
Armin Laschet congratulates his competitor Olaf Scholz so fairly
Armin Laschet (l.) And Olaf Scholz in conversation before Scholz’s election as Federal Chancellor
© Janine Schmitz / Picture Alliance
Olaf Scholz is now in the Chancellery – where Armin Laschet would have liked to end up. The CDU candidate for Chancellor found warm words about the election of Scholz.
He had high hopes for himself in the Chancellery, now Armin Laschet had to watch as Olaf Scholz was elected by the German Bundestag as the new head of government. The CDU candidate for chancellor was defeated by the SPD man in the federal election in September. In retrospect, however, Laschet presents himself as a fair loser.
He congratulated the new Federal Chancellor via Twitter even before he was officially elected by parliament. “Today with the election of the Federal Chancellor is the democratic conclusion of an intense competition,” wrote Laschet. “Even if we fought for a different result, we can be happy that the respect among democrats is so strong in our country. We have to maintain that.”
Approving reactions for Armin Laschet
For this, the former Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia received many appreciative reactions. In parliament, too, when the MPs voted for Scholz with 396 votes, Laschet came second to congratulate him. He gave the new Chancellor the Corona fist again – and even looked in a good mood. Laschet had already expressed himself very fairly to the new traffic light coalition. When the SPD, Greens and FDP officially announced the successful conclusion of their coalition negotiations, Laschet also used Twitter to congratulate “above all on the style and form of the negotiations”. The CDU had to learn this confidentiality again, he wrote at the time.
Immediately after the general election, Laschet hesitated to admit his defeat. The CDU candidate had repeatedly emphasized that he was ready for coalition talks with the FDP and the Greens in order to be able to stand at the head of a government as a representative of the second strongest force. Laschet only congratulated his competitor Olaf Scholz on winning the election a few days after the election. That had earned him some criticism – also from within his own ranks.
Before Laschet lies a time as a simple member of the CDU parliamentary group. As announced, the 60-year-old resigned from his post as Prime Minister in North Rhine-Westphalia after the federal election. Laschet is still chairman of the CDU, but has also announced his resignation here. A new party leader for the Christian Democrats is to be elected in January.
Source: Armin Laschet on Twitter