UPDATE - Germany: Merkel’s party to elect her successor

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS ABOUT CANDIDATES

BERLIN (AA) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative party will elect its new leader on Saturday at a party congress which will be held online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Among the three candidates for the leadership, businessman and lawyer Friedrich Merz continues to enjoy widespread popularity among the voters of Christian Democratic Union (CDU), but he is closely followed by his rivals Armin Laschet and Norbert Roettgen.

Public television ARD’s poll this week has shown that 29% of CDU voters think Merz would be the best person to lead their party, Laschet, premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, is supported by the 25%.

Roettgen, a CDU lawmaker and foreign policy expert, has also gained more popularity in recent weeks and was backed by the 25% of the voters.

- Hardliner wants a ‘patriotic’ CDU

Merz, a conservative hardliner, has been a vocal critic of Merkel’s open door policy for refugees, and also criticized her for shifting the party to the center-right, alienating traditional voters.

The 65-year-old has advocated a “healthy patriotism” and promised to make the CDU the “political homeland” of people who share conservative values, and moderate, patriotic views.

Despite his populist rhetoric in recent months, such as blaming the refugee crisis for the recent rise in welfare costs, Merz ruled out cooperation with the anti-immigrant, far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD).

- Laschet, a ‘moderate’ like Merkel

Armin Laschet has long been an influential figure in the CDU, and as the executive of Germany's most populous state, he is with good chances of becoming the party’s new leader.

Known for his moderate and liberal views, he is generally considered as a follower of Merkel’s centrist line.

The 59-year-old politician is a highly experienced politician. He was a federal lawmaker in 1994-1998, and served as a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1999 until 2005.

Laschet is also known for his good ties with the Turkish community and immigrant groups in the country, as he served as the integration minister of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2005-2010.

- Less ideology, more progress

The third candidate vying for the top post, CDU lawmaker and foreign policy expert Norbert Roettgen, is calling for modernizing the party structure, and focusing more on progress, instead of ideological discussions.

The 55-year-old politician, who was Germany’s energy minister from 2009 to 2012, is also an experienced lawmaker, and has been the chairman of the federal parliament’s foreign affairs committee since 2014.

During his campaign, Roettgen argued that Germany should play a stronger role in world stage to address global challenges, promised to take more effective measures to fight climate change, and underlined the importance of innovation to transform the economy.

- Delegates to decide

The CDU’s new leader will be elected on Saturday with 1,001 delegates from the party’s regional and local branches casting their vote online.

As a precaution against a manipulation by hackers or intelligence organizations, delegates will also send their ballots via postal service.

The final and official results of the election would be announced by Jan. 22.

- Post-Merkel era

The vote is widely seen as a decisive moment for the Christian Democrats, as it would determine the direction of the party in the post-Merkel era.

Merkel, who stepped down as party leader in 2018, repeatedly said she is planning to leave politics this year, and will not be running as the party’s top candidate in federal elections in September.

The CDU’s new leader would likely be the party’s candidate for chancellor in the upcoming election.

The party’s leading figures are expected to hold further talks in the coming weeks, consult with their sister-party Christian Social Union (CSU), and announce the bloc’s candidate for chancellor by April.

Recent surveys show that the CDU/CSU bloc remains Germany’s strongest political force polling around 36%, but would need a coalition partner to govern.