Armin Laschet, prime minister of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, has been elected leader of the Christian Democratic Union, putting him in pole position to succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor of Europe’s most powerful country.
Mr Laschet beat Friedrich Merz, a corporate lawyer, by 521 votes to 466 in a poll held in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic. Forced online by the national shutdown, it was the first digital party leadership election in Germany’s history.
His victory marks a triumph for the liberals and centrists in the CDU, who want it to continue the moderate, middle-of-the-road policies pursued by Ms Merkel in her 16 years as chancellor.
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