CDU Leadership Meets Today, Could Decide On Chancellor Candidate

The leadership of Germany's centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) meets later today, and it could offer a preliminary decision on who will lead the 'Union parties' into September's federal election.

• Yesterday, both CDU head and North Rhine-Westphalia Minister-President Armin Laschet and Christian Social Union (CSU) head and Bavaria Minister-President Markus Soeder officially announced their intention to stand to become the centre-right's chancellor candidate.
• Soeder is seen as the early front-runner, with strong approval ratings nationwide showing him as a popular candidate who could stave off a spike in support for the Greens. However, his candidacy may be hampered by the fact that he leads the smaller of the two 'Union parties' and therefore can only be assured of the support of the CSU leadership, not that of the larger federal CDU.
• For Laschet, his situation is the opposite of Soeder's. Opinion polls show him as an unpopular leader who might risk the Union parties not making it into the next federal coalition. However, he leads the larger CDU and therefore may be able to rely on the loyalty of its leadership to back him for the chancellor candidate position despite his poor polling numbers.
• Meeting takes place behind closed doors.
• Even if CDU board backs Laschet, Soeder could seek a decision from the full CDU-CSU group in the Bundestag, where he is seen to have greater support.