Annagret Kramp elected as CDU leader

A pro-government and a left-wing pundit speculate whether and how Annagret Kramp-Karrenbauer might restore the unity and popularity of the CDU.

Magyar Hírlap’s Mariann Őry interprets Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer’s election as the CDU leader as a victory for Chancellor Merkel. The pro-government commentator believes that AKK, as she is known in Germany, can help Chancellor Merkel to regain her popularity until the 2019 European Parliamentary election. This, however, will not be a simple task, bearing in mind that her election showed that many CDU members want an even more conservative leader than she is. The test for the Merkel – Kramp-Karrenbauer duo will be to help the CDU regain support from the rising AfD and Green Party.

In Népszava, Tamás Rónay thinks that Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer will have her work cut out to reunite the CDU by reconciling the party’s moderate and more radical wings. The left-wing columnist notes that she will need to strengthen her own political image while at the same time cooperating closely with Chancellor Merkel. Rónay hopes that Kramp-Karrenbauer’s social conservative rhetoric is only window dressing, intended to strengthen the CDU rather than an indication of a new policy line. Rónay thinks that it is crucial for Europe that Germany follows Angela Merkel’s vision.

Tags: Germany, Kramp-Karrenbauer, Merkel