Another contender throws their hat into.....>

GERMANY: Another contender throws their hat into the ring to succeed Annegret

Kramp-Karrenbauer (AKK) as chair of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union,

former environment minister Norbert Rottgen.

- Rottgen's profile in the party has risen in recent weeks as he led the

opposition within the CDU to Chancellor Angela Merkel's dovish stance on the

potential involvement of Chinese tech giant Huawei in the creation of Germany's

5G network. 

- As current chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Rottgen has also sought to

carve a position as a foreign policy hawk. He has called for a more assertive

German foreign policy in contrast to Merkel's non-interventionist stance. 

- Rottgen likely to be a minor candidate at the start of the campaign, with

Friedrich Merz, Jens Spahn (who both challenged AKK in 2018), and Armin Laschet

viewed as the leading candidates.