Germany: Party picks conservative leader for post-Merkel era

By DAVID McHUGH
Associated Press

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Delegates from the party of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel have endorsed prominent conservative Friedrich Merz as the Christian Democratic Union’s new leader. Merz received 94.6% of the vote from 983 delegates who cast ballots during an online party convention on Saturday. The vote was mostly a formality since he won 62.1% in balloting among the party membership in December, defeating two centrist contenders. The CDU is now Germany’s biggest opposition party and seeking to redefine itself after losing the the country’s September election with its worst-ever national result and the chancellorship Merkel held for 16 years. In a livestreamed speech to the delegates, Merz took several digs at new Chancellor Olaf Scholz.