This broke with the tradition of cosy relations between government authorities and Germany’s powerful car industry. For example, in 2016, when he was regional finance minister, he made Bavaria the first German state to take legal action against Volkswagen, after revelations of the company’s large-scale falsification of environmental emissions-test data. Mr Söder’s popularity arises both from personal affability and his willingness to challenge vested interests. Although leader of the smaller party in the conservative alliance, he is more popular than his CDU rival, polling 30 points higher among the German general public. While Mr Laschet presents an image of solid continuity with the Merkel era, however, Mr Söder hints at new, potentially bolder trajectories.Ī Protestant, Mr Söder has overcome significant barriers to become Minister-President of the most southerly and emphatically Roman Catholic German state. Both are ideologically moderate state premiers who have not held national office before. Superficially, the two aspirant Chancellors - Armin Laschet (CDU, North Rhine-Westphalia) and Markus Söder (CSU, Bavaria) - share many similarities. The choice could signal very different alternative directions for the European Union’s most influential member, and thus for a polity long swayed by Chancellor Merkel’s quietly determined leadership. In homage to the Christian origins of the governing CDU-CSU alliance, the liturgical feast has been explicitly designated as the deadline for concluding negotiations on a candidate for Chancellor in the national elections in September - elections that this conservative bloc looks on course to win. AT PENTECOST (23 May), we will know the outcome of two competitions of great significance to Europeans: the Eurovision Song Contest and the search for Angela Merkel’s likely successor as Chancellor of Germany.
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