Germany’s future might be ‘Merkel minus Angela’
The question of succession of the German long-time leader is likely to come down to a choice between two men from the same camp
By Josef Joffe
The election of a European party leader one of about 200 in the EU is normally not big news. However, it is when the party is the strongest political force in the EU’s largest and richest country.
Over the past weekend, Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) anointed Armin Laschet, the unassuming, friendly-faced prime minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state, as its chairman.
Laschet is not exactly a star on the world stage, but remember the name: Statistically, a Christian Democrat is the odds-on favorite for the German chancellor’s job.