Merkel's party sees risk to its hold on power in nomination war

BERLIN • Officials close to Angela Merkel are worried that her conservative bloc risks losing the German chancellery in September's election, with two contenders to lead the ticket heading for a potentially damaging showdown yesterday.

The 60-year-old leader of Dr Merkel's Christian Democrat Union (CDU), Mr Armin Laschet, is set to appear at a meeting of conservative lawmakers in Berlin to defend his claim to the nomination following the endorsement of the party leadership.

His rival Markus Soeder, 54, of the CDU's smaller Bavarian sister party, unleashed a startling broadside attacking Mr Laschet's record on Monday, and he will also attend to make his case to deputies from both parties.

While Mr Laschet has the organisational muscle of the CDU behind him, he has struggled to connect with voters.

Mr Soeder, by contrast, was rated the most popular politician in Germany in one recent poll, and with the bloc heading for the worst result in its history, he is arguing that the conservatives cannot afford to ignore public opinion. The bloc has "never lost so much voter support in such a short time", he said.

With the group's chancellor candidate historically chosen behind closed doors, the conservatives find themselves in uncharted territory, with no clear process in place to settle a battle that has now broken out into the open.

Forcing Mr Laschet into a direct confrontation already represents a victory for Mr Soeder. With lawmakers' seats at risk from the slump in support, the Bavarian state premier is betting he will be able to win backing from within the ranks of Mr Laschet's CDU as well as the representatives from his party.

There is also a broader concern that voters see the governing conservatives as being distracted by infighting at a time when the administration is struggling to get a grip on the coronavirus emergency.

"The problems that we have to solve this week are so big that we shouldn't focus any longer on internal party issues but on the major tasks that Germany faces today, tomorrow, this week and in the coming months," Mr Laschet said.

The tense contest has even raised eyebrows among potential rivals. Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, who was chosen as the Social Democrats' chancellor candidate in August, said he was "very irritated" by the protracted process.

"We have very serious business to take care of and now is not the time for vain power battles," he said yesterday.

BLOOMBERG