The CDU (Christian Democratic Union) German centre-right party chose on Friday (17) Friedrich Merz, former prime minister Angela Merkel’s historic rival, as leader of the party.
Merz, 66, will replace Armin Laschet in office following the CDU’s defeat in the September 26 general election. The party, which had been in power since 2005, moved into opposition after the victory of Social Democratic candidate Olaf Scholz, who took office as prime minister of the country on the 8th.
The CDU finished the election in second place, with 24.1% of the vote, the legend’s worst result since the end of World War II. After the result, the association decided to change its leadership.
Right-wing Merz received 62.1% of the vote from CDU members in his third attempt to take over the party’s leadership. About 250 thousand voted in the election of a total of 400 thousand members of the legend.
He promised a break with the centrist strategy adopted by Merkel during the 16 years she was head of Germany’s government.
The rivals defeated in the dispute for the leadership of the association, Norbert Roettgen and Helge Braun, had presented themselves as political heirs of the former prime minister.
A lawyer, Merz held the position of deputy for the CDU in the early 2000s and then made a career with the Black Rock investment fund. He was elected again to the German Parliament this year.
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