The Europeans

The three candidates : Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Friedrich Merz, Jens Spahn (seated)

As reported by Cicero Magazine, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (“AKK”) succeeded Angela Merkel as chairman of the Christian Democratic Union, at the party conference, 7th December. The victory was narrow, and went to a second round run-off election between Kramp-Karrenbauer and Merz.

First round results: AKK 45%, FM 39.2%, JS 15.7%
Second round: AKK 51.75%, FM 48.25%

The final result was uncannily close to that of the Brexit referendum — Leave 51.89%, Remain, 48.11% — although in the opposite sense. AKK, the anointed of Angela Merkel, will be counted upon to provide transitional stability, allowing the Chancellor to remain more or less comfortably in her post until the 2021 Bundestag elections. The right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) will no doubt be welcoming the result. AKK, the Merkel-protégée, will be far less likely than Friedrich Merz, the Schäuble-protégé, to win back voters lost to the AfD in 2017 over the principal national issue: immigration policy. Add to that the piquant sauce served up by the narrowness of the Merkel-AKK win.