Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer succeeds Angela Merkel as CDU leader
By Duncan Ferris
Date: Friday 07 Dec 2018
(Sharecast News) - Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has been elected as Angela Merkel's successor as leader of the German Christian Democrat Party (CDU), beating multi-millionaire businessman Friedrich Merz by just 25 votes.
The moderate career-politician vowed in her victory speech to inject new energy into the party as it faces the challenge of increasingly popular far-right movements and political parties rearing their heads.
She had won the first round of voting but still had to face off against Merz in a second-round runoff.
A strict Catholic and a mother of three, Kramp-Karrenbauer is seen as a favourite to succeed Merkel as Chancellor if the CDU taste victory in the next election.
Seen as a steady pair of hands, she was dubbed 'mini Merkel' after being nominated as the general secretary for the party by Angela Merkel and winning by a record margin with over 98% of the vote.
The result is therefor seen as something of a victory for Merkel, who will likely now see her fourth term as German Chancellor through to the next election in 2021 and had all but officially endorsed Kramp Karrenbauer.
While the new party leader has sided with the Chancellor on her refugee policy and holds liberal stances on women's rights and the minimum wage, she has some more traditionally conservative views, such as concerns about same-sex couples having full adoption rights.
She is also in favour of reinstating military and social service and has questioned the right of ethnic Turks, Germany's biggest minority group, to hold both German and Turkish citizenship.
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