CHANCELLOR Angela Merkel has proposed that the governor of Germany’s tiny western state of Saarland should run her party’s day-to-day operations – putting her in prime position to succeed Merkel as leader of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union.
Merkel said she wants the party to elect Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to the post of general-secretary next Monday. The party’s current general-secretary, Peter Tauber, is stepping down over health issues.
Speaking alongside Kramp-Karrenbauer at the party’s headquarters in Berlin, Merkel said the 55-year-old would bring a lot of experience and credibility to the role at a time when the Christian Democrats are under pressure to define their political positions.
Conservative voters have abandoned the party in recent years, partly over Merkel’s welcoming stance on immigration, even though it still came first in last September’s election with almost 33 per cent of the vote.
Explaining why she was willing to leave her post as governor of one of Germany’s 16 states to devote her energy to the party’s headquarters in Berlin, Kramp-Karrenbauer said: “We are experiencing one of the most difficult political phases in the history of (post-war) Germany.”
Kramp-Karrenbauer has been governor of Saarland on Germany’s western border with France and Luxembourg since 2011.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel