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BERLIN (Reuters) – The three candidates to succeed German Chancellor Angela Merkel as head of the Christian Democratic Party (CDU) agreed on Thursday to revive their party's fortunes by cutting taxes and easing dependency from Germany to the United States in defense matters.
Candidates from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Friedrich Merz, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Jens Spahn arrive at a regional conference in Lübeck, Germany, on November 15, 2018. REUTERS / Fabian Bimmer
During a three-hour debate of a stark mood in the city of Luebeck, in the north of the country, the first of eight meetings gathering representatives of the party at the grassroots in Germany before the vote of leaders on December 7, the rivals barely opposed a broader policy.
The details were nuanced, but all three decided to work to improve the integration of migrants, to put more emphasis on affordable housing, to reduce subsidies to the poorest eastern states and to strengthen the digitization of Merkel.
The leadership race of the Christian Democratic Christian Union party is a duel between Merkel's protégé, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, widely regarded as the option of continuity, and Friedrich Merz, a millionaire who describes himself as even as "a man of free trade".
Merkel said she would remain chancellor at the summit of a "grand coalition" with the sister party of the CDU in Bavaria and the Social Democrats until the end of her term in 2021.
CDU General Secretary Kramp-Karrenbauer was applauded for stating that she would continue the renewal process taking into account the views of the party's base.
Merkel's former rival, Merz, said it was aimed at bringing the CDU back above the 40 percent mark and halving support for the extreme alternative. right for Germany (AfD), which is currently around 16%. The CDU is around 26-27% in most surveys.
"It's our job to do it," he said, adding that the CDU should make clear that it had not forgotten voters who felt neglected after the influx of 1.5 million migrants since 2015.
Health Minister Jens Spahn, the third candidate and spokesperson for Merkel's immigration policy, said the CDU's policy had partly contributed to the rise in power of the EU. AfD, now represented in the 16 German states. "We can also get rid of it," he said.
The three candidates promised to work with each other after the leadership elections and emphasized their mutual respect.
"I will not criticize others, we will only say good things about each other … Finally, the party must be winning," said Merz.
An opinion poll conducted Monday and Tuesday for broadcaster ARD showed that Kramp-Karrenbauer, nicknamed mini-Merkel, remains the favorite of voters in the CDU, with 46% support.
The survey, released on Thursday, showed that 31% of CDU supporters favored Friedrich Merz, returning to politics after 10 years in the private sector. Twelve percent supported Spahn.
Reporting by Madeline Chambers; edited by Grant McCool
