Armin Laschet – Merkel’s shoes tough to fill

Armin Laschet, the centrist continuity conservative candidate, has become Angela Merkel’s successor as leader of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union. He may or may not lead the party in the German elections on 26 September as candidate for chancellor. A recent poll indicated only 28% of Germans surveyed thought he had the calibre for the job. His approval ratings fell during the pandemic because of lackadaisical leadership and charges of nepotism over PPE procured from a fashion com