Merkel’s Party Elects Leader Committed to Upholding Her Legacy
- Armin Laschet is coal miner’s son from North Rhine-Westphalia
- He has backed Merkel’s stance on German economy, migration
Armin Laschet
Photographer: Michael Kappeler/dpa/Getty Images
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Germany’s dominant party voted for continuity on Saturday by electing Armin Laschet as leader, opting for the candidate who most resembles outgoing chancellor, Angela Merkel, in policy and style.
Laschet, head of the country’s most populous state, beat long-time Merkel critic Friedrich Merz in a runoff after Norbert Roettgen, chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the Bundestag, was eliminated in the first round of voting at the Christian Democratic Union’s online convention.