Not long ago, Ursula von der Leyen and Friedrich Merz viewed each other with suspicion. But now it’s over, out of pragmatism.
It’s always amazing who can come together in politics when their interests suddenly coincide. For almost two decades, Ursula von der Leyen stood for much of what caused Friedrich Merz to doubt his party. Von der Leyen fought for the women’s quota, implemented parental allowance and voted for “marriage for all” when Merz still couldn’t do anything with all of this. And you don’t offend von der Leyen if you claim that it wasn’t her greatest wish that the eternal Angela Merkel critic Merz became CDU chairman.