Armin Laschet in Berlin, on January 16.
Photographer: Christian Marquardt / Pool / Bloomberg
Photographer: Christian Marquardt / Pool / Bloomberg
Supporters of the man who might become Germany’s next leader rushed to defend him after his unorthodox views on foreign policy raised questions about his credentials to succeed Angela Merkel.
The newly elected leader of Merkel’s Christian Democrats, Armin Laschet, mistakenly tweeted in 2016 that the Obama administration had backed the militant Islamic State in Syria. Two years earlier, after that In Russia’s invasion of Crimea, Laschet criticized a wave of “marketable anti-Putin populism” spreading across Germany.
“I disagree with the critics who argue that Laschet has an underdeveloped profile on foreign policy,” fellow party member David McAllister, head of the European Parliament’s foreign committee, told reporters on Tuesday. “Armin Laschet has all my support.”
Merkel’s side chooses a leader dedicated to upholding her legacy
As a party leader, Laschet is on pole position to run for chancellor in the September elections. If he can crown the chancellor, he would regularly deal with US President-elect Joe Biden on a range of security issues from the Middle East to Russia. After Biden’s victory, Laschet rushed to congratulate him and praised the result as proof that elections can still be won without a populist campaign.
“Armin Laschet is a committed European, and he knows the US too,” said McAllister. “Of course there may be differences of opinion between Europeans and Americans on certain topics.”
The CDU can hardly afford another slip. The head of the country’s most populous state was elected party leader Saturday after Defense Secretary Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, hand-picked by Merkel as her successor two years ago, stepped aside after a series of blunders.
Chancellor candidate
While the party leader usually becomes the chancellor candidate for Germany’s conservative bloc, that step is not automatic this time. The Bavarian CSU sister party will have a major say in the decision and Markus Soeder, the leader of the Christian Social Union, is currently leading the way in polls.
And in reality the US has little to fear from Laschet, analysts say. He described Laschet as “not an expert on foreign policy,” and Berenberg chief economist Holger Schmieding said he expects him to “continue Merkel’s foreign policy.”
“Laschet here represents continuity with the Merkel government,” said McAllister. “Our American partners can already prepare for it.”
Laschet’s office was not immediately available for comment.