Dear Reader,
There is only one man who can save the CDU now—and he isn’t even a member of the Christian Democrats.
Yes, the time for Markus Söder, the bombastic, self-aggrandising Bavarian premier, has arrived.
Various names are being discussed as successors to Friedrich Merz, but Söder is the only one capable of returning the CDU to its former status as a Volkspartei—a party whose appeal cuts across class and region.
With Merz teetering on the brink after a humiliating loss to the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt, the rumour mill has gone into overdrive. Further defeats are already looming in Berlin and Mecklenburg, fuelling speculation about an inner-party coup against the luckless chancellor.
Other names being discussed include Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Hesse state leader Boris Rhein. Neither stands a realistic chance.
There are only two serious candidates to take over.