Global InformationJanuary 2021 Christian Democratic Union of Germany leadership election information
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1,001 delegates in the 33rd CDU Federal Congress 501 delegate votes needed to win | |||||||||||||||||
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The January 2021 Christian Democratic Union leadership election took place on 15 January 2021 at the party's 33rd Congress to elect the leader of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany.
The election was triggered by the resignation of leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in February 2020. Kramp-Karrenbauer was elected in November 2018 and, while initially popular, suffered a series of difficulties beginning shortly before the 2019 European elections. Her resignation was triggered by her failure to enforce discipline in the CDU's Thuringia branch during the 2020 Thuringian government crisis.[1][2] The election to replace her was originally scheduled to take place on 25 April 2020 in Berlin, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 14 September 2020, Secretary-General Paul Ziemiak announced that the Congress would, due to the pandemic, be held as a one-day meeting on 4 December 2020.[3] However, in late October, the election was further postponed due to a surge in COVID cases nationally.[4] A virtual Congress was held on 15–16 January, with the election of the new leader held on 16 January. The victor was formally confirmed in a postal vote on 22 January.[5]
Three candidates stood in the election. Norbert Röttgen, chair of the Bundestag foreign affairs committee, announced his candidacy on 18 February.[6] This was followed on 25 February by a joint announcement from Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia Armin Laschet, who declared his intention to stand for the leadership, with the endorsement of federal Health Minister Jens Spahn.[7] A few hours later, former leader of the CDU/CSU Bundestag group Friedrich Merz announced his own candidacy.[8]
Merz won a plurality of votes in the first round of the election, securing 385 (39%) to Laschet's 380 (38%). Röttgen placed third with 224 (23%). Laschet was elected in the runoff, winning 521 (52.8%) of delegate votes, while Merz won 466 (47.2%).[9] Laschet was formally confirmed by a postal vote on 22 January, winning 83.4% of votes.[10]
- ^ "Sonntagsfrage – Forsa (Wahlumfragen zur Bundestagswahl)". Wahlrecht.de (in German). Retrieved 2018-10-30.
- ^ "Kramp-Karrenbauer: Entscheidung ist seit geraumer Zeit in mir gereift". Handelsblatt.de. 2020-02-10. Retrieved 2020-02-11.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "CDU wählt neuen Vorsitzenden auf eintägigem Parteitag am 4. Dezember". Reuters Africa (in German). 14 September 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.[dead link]
- ^ Wahl eines neuen Vorsitzenden: CDU verschiebt Parteitag - Merz kritisiert Entscheidung, sueddeutsche.de, 26 October 2020
- ^ News, Bloomberg (2020-12-14). "Merkel's Party Opts for Online Convention to Elect New Leader". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2020-12-14.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Norbert Röttgen kandidiert für den CDU-Vorsitz - DER SPIEGEL - Politik". Der Spiegel (in German). 18 February 2020. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
- ^ "The Double-Act That Wants to Take Over Germany". Bloomberg.com. 26 February 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-25.
- ^ Berlin, Berliner Morgenpost- (2020-02-25). "Friedrich Merz kandidiert - und schießt gegen Laschet und Spahn". www.morgenpost.de (in German). Retrieved 2020-02-26.
- ^ Lotus, Jean (2020-01-16). "Armin Laschet, Merkel ally, elected head of Germany's CDU party". United Press International.
- ^ "Postal vote". CDU. Archived from the original on 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2021-02-04.