The fight for the CDU chairmanship is entering the decisive phase, the party wants to let its members decide for the first time!
On Saturday, over 300 CDU district chairmen voted to question the base. A clear victory for Friedrich Merz (65)! The ex-parliamentary group leader and newly elected member of the Bundestag is considered the darling of the grassroots and should have the best chances in a member survey.
BILD knows: Merz is already working on setting up a top team so as not to give other possible applicants a chance in a member survey.
Merz wants to bring health minister and party vice Jens Spahn (41) into the team. Spahn is also considered a candidate for the party and parliamentary group chairmanship. However, the personal relationship between the two is very tense.
As BILD learned, Merz wants to try on Monday in a conversation with Spahn and CDU SME boss Carsten Linnemann (44) to convince the two of an amicable solution. Because Linnemann also has ambitions for a top position.
Merz’s greatest concern is his rival Norbert Röttgen (56). As it is said, the ex-environment minister and CDU president wants to run again for the party chairmanship in any case – even if he is only moderately popular at the grassroots level.
In the vote against Merz and Armin Laschet (60), Röttgen won 224 of 1001 delegate votes in the first round at the party congress in January, Merz got 380.