BERLIN (AP) Armin Laschet has won his rivals backing to lead Chancellor Angela Merkels center-right bloc into the German election in September, after a bruising power struggle.
Markus Soeder said Tuesday that he will back Laschet, the head of Merkels Christian Democratic Union, after the latters party leadership gave him majority support. Soeder said that the die is cast: Armin Laschet will be the chancellor candidate of the Union.
Soeder, the leader of the CDUs smaller Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, had faced off against Laschet for over a week in a standoff that laid bare deep divisions in Merkels party. Soeder, whose personal poll ratings are much better than Laschets, had significant support in the CDU.
The Union bloc is the last major party to nominate a candidate for chancellor in the Sept. 26 parliamentary election, in which Merkel is not seeking a fifth four-year term.
The 60-year-old Laschet is the governor of Germanys most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia. Soeder is the governor of Bavaria.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APs earlier story follows below.
BERLIN (AP) Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right bloc is still awaiting a final verdict in its power struggle even after the head of her party early Tuesday secured its leadership's backing to run for German chancellor in the September election.
Armin Laschet, the leader of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, has been locked in a battle with Markus Soeder, who leads its smaller Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, for the chance to succeed Merkel.
Their Union bloc is the last major political force to nominate a candidate for chancellor in the Sept. 26 parliamentary election, in which Merkel is not seeking a fifth four-year term.
Parts of the CDU favor Soeder, while others have vehemently criticized his bid for the top job. Soeder has much better poll ratings, but Laschet was only elected in January and leads by far the bigger of the sister parties. The past week has seen primarily a conflict of personality and style rather than policy.
At the beginning of last week, Laschet informally rallied the CDU leadership behind his bid. But Soeder said the matter shouldnt be resolved only in a small back room.
After days of talks failed to produce a solution but laid bare deep divisions in the CDU, Soeder said Monday that the bigger party must decide the matter and his CSU would respect a clear decision. He didn't define what he meant by a clear decision.
At a turbulent meeting of the CDU leadership that lasted until after midnight, 31 of its members voted for Laschet, nine for Soeder and six abstained, German news agency dpa reported.
It wasn't immediately clear how Soeder would respond. The CSU leader was expected to address the matter later Tuesday.
The Union bloc campaigns together in federal elections and has a joint parliamentary group in Berlin. The CSU exists only in Bavaria, while the CDU runs in Germany's other 15 states.
The Union leads polls ahead of the environmentalist Greens, who on Monday nominated Annalena Baerbock as their first candidate to be chancellor. The struggling center-left Social Democrats nominated Finance Minister Olaf Scholz as their candidate months ago.