Merkel loyalist wins German party leadership battle
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, an ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, has been elected as the new leader of Merkel's center-right party. Kramp-Karrenbauer narrowly defeated Friedrich Merz, a one-time Merkel rival, at a congress of the Christian Democratic Union in Hamburg on Friday. She won 517 votes to Merz's 482 in a run-off. A third candidate, Health Minister Jens Spahn, was eliminated in a first round of voting. The 56-year-old Kramp-Karrenbauer has been the CDU's general secretary, in charge of day-to-day political strategy, since February.
- World
- AFP
- Published Date: 12:00 | 07 December 2018
- Modified Date: 07:52 | 07 December 2018
AKK beat corporate lawyer Friedrich Merz, 63, who had quit politics in 2009 after losing a power struggle against Merkel and long nursed a grudge against the more centrist chancellor.
The third candidate -- vocal Merkel critic and current health minister Jens Spahn -- lost in the first round.
Merkel, 64, had earlier mounted a staunch defence of her moderate course since becoming chancellor in 2005.
Accepting a lengthy standing ovation from delegates, many tearful and holding "Thanks, boss" placards aloft, a visibly moved Merkel said the party had won four national elections under her by holding fast to its principles.
"In difficult times we shouldn't forget our Christian and democratic stance," she said.
- 'SHOW WHAT WE'VE GOT' -
Pointing to the rise of populism worldwide and what she called a breakdown of shared Western values, Merkel said the order she had championed was at risk.
"Whether it's the rejection of multilateralism, the return to nationalism, the reduction of international cooperation to deal-making or threatened trade wars... hybrid warfare, destablisation of societies with fake news or the future of our EU -- we Christian Democrats must show in the face of all these challenges what we've got," she said.