Friedrich Merz, a vehement opponent of Angela Merkel inside Germany’s conservative CDU, was elected party leader on Friday, signalling a shift in the party’s fortunes following its dismal election setback in September.
In a poll of about 250,000 CDU members, the veteran right-winger received 62.1 percent of the vote, easily defeating more moderate competitors Norbert Roettgen with 25.8 percent and Helge Braun with 12.1 percent.
He will succeed Merkel supporter Armin Laschet, who led the CDU-CSU group to its worst-ever election result of 24.1 percent of the vote in September, as Merkel prepared to step down after 16 years in power.
Merz will lead the opposition against the new administration led by Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, who took over Merkel’s job last week with a combination of pro-business Greens and ecologist Greens.
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