Angela Merkel’s party picks her ally Laschet as next leader

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU party picked her ally Armin Laschet as its next leader on Saturday, in a vote for “continuity” as Europe’s biggest economy heads into a key election year with the deadly coronavirus pandemic still raging. In the close race, Laschet, the state premier of Germany’s most populous state, North Rhinewestphalia, triumphed over old Merkel nemesis Friedrich Merz, after a first round that saw Merz leading by just five votes. In a speech before the vote, Laschet called for “continuity” and highlighted the challenge of retaining CDU voters without Merkel at the top.