BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd November, 2019) Paul Ziemiak, the secretary general of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of Germany, said on Thursday that the party delegates would not discuss of the issue of Angela Merkel's successor as the chancellor during the annual conference, which would take place on Friday.
In October, the Junge Union, the party's youth organization, asked to settle the issue during the November conference. Their initiative was supported by Friedrich Merz, a prominent CDU politician, who lost the 2018 party leadership election to the current chairperson, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the defense minister and an alleged favorite of Merkel herself.
"I am not aware of any such initiatives. We had six offers regarding the issue of primaries, we will discuss them, [and then] make the decision," Ziemiak said during a press conference.
Merz's word played no part during the party presidium's meeting ahead of the conference, according to Ziemiak.
Following the defeat in the latest regional elections, Merkel decided not to seek re-election as the party leader back in October 2018. In December, the CDS elected Kramp-Karrenbauer to be Merkel's replacement.
Angela Merkel's last term as the chancellor ends in 2021.
