Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer elected leader of Germany’s CDU party

Author Details
Author (Corporate)
Publication Date 2018
Content Type

Summary:

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was elected on 7 December 2018 the new leader of Germany's Christian Democrats (CDU), narrowly beating her closest competitor. Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer was the favourite candidate of Angela Merkel, who left the party's leadership after 18 years.

Further information:

Delegates at the party conference had to choose between three candidates: Jens Spahn, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Friedrich Merz. The second round saw Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer beating Mr Metz by just 25 votes. The leadership contest was launched following Angela Merkel's announcement she would not seek reelection. Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer's election did not automatically mean she would replace Ms Merkel as Germany's Chancellor, whom indicated the intention to complete the mandate.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer grew up in a Catholic family in Saarland. She joined the CDU in 1981 as a student and worked her way up in state-level politics. Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer became the first woman to serve as a state minister for internal affairs in 2000 and the first woman to serce as prime minister of Saarland, a position she held from 2011 to 2018. In February 2018, she was appointed Secretary General of the CDU following proposal from Angela Merkel, suggesting she had picked her preferred successor in the party.

Related Links
Commentary and Analysis
EurActiv, 07.12.18: Which way forward for Merkel’s CDU? https://www.euractiv.com/section/future-eu/news/which-way-forward-for-merkels-cdu/
BBC News, 07.12.18: Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer: Who is the new leader of Germany's CDU? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46474381
Politico, 09.12.18: A weakened Merkel still gets her way https://www.politico.eu/article/angela-merkel-annegret-kramp-karrenbauer-weakened-still-gets-her-way/
The Local (Germany), 07.12.18: Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer: The women behind the 'mini-Merkel' headlines https://www.thelocal.de/20181207/annegret-kramp-karrenbauer-the-women-behind-the-mini-merkel-headlines
Deutsche Welle, 07.12.18: Angela Merkel's CDU successor: Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer https://p.dw.com/p/39ce1
Euro|topics, December 2018: Who will lead the CDU into the future? https://www.eurotopics.net/en/211301/
TIME, 29.11.18: The Race to Succeed Merkel Will Also Determine Who Leads Europe http://time.com/5466502/germany-chancellor-election/
Foreign Policy, 29.11.18: It’s Time to Give Up on Eastern Germany https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/11/29/its-time-to-give-up-on-eastern-germany/
The New York Times, 07.12.18: It Doesn’t Matter Who Replaces Merkel. Germany Is Broken. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/07/opinion/merkel-germany-christian-democrats.html
Politico, 07.12.18: Germany’s rocky road to life after Merkel https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-cdu-rocky-road-life-after-angela-merkel/
Euro|topics, December 2018: Where will Kramp-Karrenbauer take the CDU? https://www.eurotopics.net/en/211390/
Open Europe: Blog, 04.12.18: CDU leadership race takes place against a backdrop of declining support for establishment parties https://openeurope.org.uk/today/blog/cdu-leadership-race-takes-place-against-a-backdrop-of-declining-support-for-establishment-parties/
Spiegel Online International, 10.12.18: Rough Road Ahead for the Merkel Dynasty http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/kramp-karrenbauer-succeeds-merkel-as-cdu-leader-a-1242904.html
OSW: Analyses, 07.12.18: Kramp-Karrenbauer to lead the CDU https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/analyses/2018-12-07/kramp-karrenbauer-to-lead-cdu
Politico, 08.02.19: German CDU chief: Europe must adapt to survive https://www.politico.eu/article/german-conservative-cdu-leader-annegret-kramp-karrenbauer-europe-must-adapt-to-survive-christian-democratic-union/

News
BBC News, 07.12.18: Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer: Merkel choice elected CDU leader https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46487246
The Guardian, 07.12.18: Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer elected Merkel's successor as CDU leader https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/07/annegret-kramp-karrenbauer-elected-merkels-successor-as-christian-democrat-leader
Deutsche Welle, 07.12.18: Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer voted successor to Angela Merkel as head of Christian Democrats https://p.dw.com/p/39eyz
The Economist, 07.12.18: Angela Merkel’s preferred candidate becomes party leader https://www.economist.com/europe/2018/12/07/angela-merkels-preferred-candidate-becomes-party-leader
Politico, 07.12.18: New German conservative leader steps out of Merkel’s shadow https://www.politico.eu/article/german-leadership-hopeful-seeks-to-shake-merkels-shadow-annegret-kramp-karrenbauer-cdu/
EUObserver, 07.12.18: Merkel loyalist AKK wins CDU leadership battle https://euobserver.com/political/143641
Deutsche Welle, 08.12.18: Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer says Merkel is safe, for now https://p.dw.com/p/39jbn
EurActiv, 09.12.18: With eyes on future Chancellorship, CDU elects Kramp-Karrenbauer as new chair https://www.euractiv.com/section/elections/news/with-eyes-on-future-chancellorship-cdu-elects-kramp-karrenbauer-as-new-chair/

Subject Categories
Subject Tags
Keywords ,
Countries / Regions
Record URL https://www.europeansources.info/record/?p=513965