The battle to succeed Angela Merkel gets nastier

“MY PLACECSUCDUCDUCSUMPCDUCDUMP is in Bavaria.” When asked if he hoped to succeed Angela Merkel, who will step down as Germany’s chancellor after an election in September, Markus Söder repeated his not-quite-denial so often that it became a running joke. As head of Bavaria’s centre-right Christian Social Union (), sister party to Mrs Merkel’s Christian Democrats (), Mr Söder (pictured above, right), a cocky, self-assured type, has ruled Germany’s brashest, and second most populous, state since 2018. Many thought his ambitions ended there.Yet April 13th found Mr Söder seated in the Bundestag explaining why his place might be in Berlin after all. The / choose a joint chancellor-candidate to lead them into national elections. Appearing before the parties’ s, Mr Söder laid out his pitch for the job. Armin Laschet, the mild-mannered leader (pictured, left), made his own case from three socially distanced seats away. Johann Wadephul, a who backs Mr Söder, says the four-hour debate was the most intense parliamentary session he can recall.