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Post-election rifts emerge in Germany's centre-right alliance
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/28/post-election-rifts-emerge-in-germany-centre-right-allianceA leading German conservative has made a public show of congratulating the Social Democrats’ candidate on winning Sunday’s national election in a sign of division within the centre-right alliance of outgoing chancellor Angela Merkel after it plunged to historic losses.
Markus Söder, the head of Bavaria’s Christian Social Union (CSU), the Christian Democratic Union’s (CDU) sister party, said Olaf Scholz was frontrunner to become Germany’s next leader, undermining the claims of the CDU-CSU’s Armin Laschetthat the 25.7%-24.1% result was too narrow to amount to a clear mandate and he could still form a “future-oriented coalition”.
“Olaf Scholz has the best chances to become chancellor,” Söder said. “That’s crystal clear”.
While Laschet has reportedly declined to congratulated Scholz on winning the vote, Söder pointedly saluted the centre-left candidate, Germany’s finance minister and vice-chancellor. “It is important to respect the result,” he said. “Part of that is that I once again congratulate Olaf Scholz.”