President Reuven Rivlin Meets North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Armin Laschet in Jerusalem, March 1, 2020.
Angela Merkelâs conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) on Tuesday endorsed its newly elected chairman, Armin Laschet, a good friend of the State of Israel, as its candidate to succeed the departing chancellor. The German federal election will be held on September 26, and should he succeed in forming a governing coalition, Laschet would become the next chancellor.
In addition to serving as Leader of the CDU since January, Laschet, a Roman Catholic, is also the prime minister of the North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state. A former journalist and attorney, Laschet was elected in 1994 to the German Bundestag and in 1999 became a Member of the European Parliament. In 2005 he entered state politics in North Rhine-Westphalia as a member of the state government. As a cabinet minister, he was known for his liberal views and good relations with the immigrant community, earning him the nickname “Turkish Armin.” In 2012, he became the leader of the state party and was elected Prime Minister of the state in 2017. His cabinet includes his own CDU and the liberal FDP.