German politician Armin Laschet, on Jan. 16, won the leadership nomination for the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, which has been in power since 2005.
If CDU wins the federal election in September, Laschet will succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor of Germany.
Laschet is known for his friendly attitude towards authoritarian regimes. Laschet has publicly backed Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline and made comments in support of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has congratulated Laschet on his victory.
“I hope for further strengthening and deepening of the Ukrainian-German partnership for the benefit of our peoples,” wrote Zelensky on Twitter.
Zelensky’s attention to German inner-party elections isn’t surprising. Germany is Europe’s largest economy and the key member of the Normandy peace talks. Ukrainian-German relations are vital for Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration and for maintaining the European Union’s sanctions against Russia.
Leadership election
The election of Laschet as the leader of the CDU ends a three-year-long transition period, which began after party leader Merkel stepped down from her post in 2018.
She led the party since 2002.
In 2018, Merkel said she won’t run in the next federal election, scheduled for September 2021, subsequently ending her 16-year long reign as German leader.
In 2018, the CDU held an election to choose Merkel’s successor. Merkel’s protégé, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, won the 2018 election. She soon was appointed Germany’s Minister of Defense.
However, her tenure was short-lived. In February 2020, Kramp-Karrenbauer stepped down as the leader of the CDU and decided not to run for re-election.
Kramp-Karrenbauer’s decision to quit was sparked by the poor results during local elections. She also took a hit after her party voted together with the far-right Alternative for Germany party to appoint the Minister-President of Thuringia, one of Germany’s 16 states.
As a result, a new CDU leadership election was scheduled for Jan. 16 and was held online due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Laschet won the election, receiving 521 votes in the runoff out of 991. His main opponent was Friedrich Merz, who is among the few CDU party members proposing to introduce tougher sanctions on Russia.
According to the YouGov January poll, the union of the CDU and the Christian Social Union in Bavaria is supported by 36% of voters, far ahead of their main competitors. Laschet, the new leader of the CDU, is the frontrunner to become Germany’s next chancellor.
Laschet’s views on Russia
Laschet is the current Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state. Laschet is best known for his comments in support of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, weeks after the Russian government made an unsuccessful attempt to murder opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
“It is good if we reach a common solution that is as cohesive as possible,” said Laschet on Sept. 5, dodging the question about the pipeline.
He soon warned journalists against hasty decisions about the gas pipeline.
It wasn’t the first poorly received comment by Germany’s possible future chancellor. In 2015, Laschet supported Russian intervention in Syria and accused the U.S. of sponsoring the Islamic State.
In 2019, Laschet once again supported Russia. “We have to re-enter into a stronger dialogue with Russia,” he said.
By then, over 13,000 Ukrainians have been killed as a result of the Russian invasion of Crimea and eastern Donbas.
In March 2014, when Russian President Vladimir Putin began his war against Ukraine, Laschet warned Germany against “anti-Putin populism.”
However, even Laschet’s backing might be insufficient to finish the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
On Jan. 15, Bloomberg reported that, as a result of U.S. sanctions, Zurich Insurance Group has decided to stop providing insurance services linked to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
Earlier, Norwegian DNV GL, the world’s largest ship classification society, has issued a statement saying that it won’t certify the Nord Stream 2 pipeline for the same reason.
(c) KyivPost
This is not good news for Ukraine. The Krauts have swapped one Russian lover for another. He’s no friend of the US either.
This wackjob thought the US was sponsoring ISIS during the Obama years? Being pro-ruSSian and anti-American is a bad combination for Ukraine. I still think Ukraine should form a new eastern European union.
Even greater Putin lover then Merkel.
I hope Merz will run for chancellor, not this POS.
If this putler jackboot licker becomes Chancellor, there is only one conclusion: Germany is a Russian lackey state and therefore an enemy of democracy. Especially because it is so sly, with its loyalties kept under wraps. That won’t worry most of the EU though; most of the arseholes feel the same way.
We can only hope the CDU don’t win the election later in the year, but I don’t see any party strong enough to challenge them. BTW this is what the No1 Putin asslicker Schroeder says.
“The former German leader recognized the candidacy of North Rhine-Westphalia State Premier Armin Laschet as a good option to succeed Merkel in next year’s elections.”
Schroeder is from the SPD, which is even more putlerite than the CDU!
Could be worse, the AfD could get elected.
The article is misleading. Laschet will not automatically become chancellor. The party must nominate a candidate independent from the party’s leadership. I read they will nominate somebody on January 20th, not sure though.
He won’t if the CDU fail to win the election.
I need to get da fuck outa here! LMAO!
Just checked the party’s website. Laschet is not the candidate for chancellor. The party will nominate a candidate in April. Hopefully Friedrich Merz.
He would be a better choice than the Russian lover, but would the CDU want someone who is not even leader of the CDU, running the country?
Maybe. Laschet only got elected in the second round. Merz got a more stable base. He only needs to get a few flip-floppers on his side until April.
The final result will be known tomorrow when they count overseas votes. Merz is 2.8% behind at the moment, so he will need a miracle to win the election.
I was talking about the election in April. 😀
[…] In Germany, Russia-friendly Armin Laschet takes charge of Merkel’s party […]
Laschet is a weak eunuch and he will assure keeping Muslima Merkel’s left-leaning course. Thus, if nothing better happens, which won’t, the CDU remains as much a semi-leftist party now as the SPD used to be before they themselves moved further to the left. Germanystan is fucked with Merkel and continues being fucked with Laschet.