Chancellor exchange | And who will replace Wüst?

North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst is one of the most popular CDU politicians. Nevertheless, there is something to be said against a quick chancellorship. Photo: Friso Gentsch/dpa Hendrik Wüst as a replacement for Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The speculation that is surging again these days definitely has something to say. In contrast to Merz, Wüst has a modern communication style. He is able to take people with him, as the saying goes. Wüst appears less pithy and more mediating than Merz. He also saves himself from making public Basta announcements to his coalition partners. In terms of content, he can still assert himself often enough. The fact that the coal phase-out by 2030 is hardly achievable does not cause an outcry among the Greens, nor does the construction of a deportation prison costing over 300 million euros. Hendrik Wüst manages to enforce CDU policies in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Because of this success, it is questionable whether changing the chancellor soon would be a good idea. The next state elections will take place in North Rhine-Westphalia in seven months. If Wüst were to move to the Chancellery beforehand, the Christian Democrats in North Rhine-Westphalia would face major problems. There is a lack of successor candidates in the ranks of state ministers. The ministers Herbert Reul and Karl-Josef Laumann, who are fairly well-known in the country, are too old for the office of prime minister and would at best be considered interim prime ministers. The ambitious Construction Minister Ina Scharrenbach currently has to survive a committee of inquiry into abuse of power and bullying in her ministry. Head of the State Chancellery Nathanael Liminski would certainly be able to fill the position, but his past in extremely reactionary Catholic groups speaks against it, and Wüst would probably want to take him with him to Berlin so that he can organize the Chancellery.

Since only members of the state parliament can be elected prime minister in North Rhine-Westphalia, the Union's remaining personnel reserves are also relatively modest. The parliamentary group leader in the Düsseldorf state parliament, Thorsten Schick, is probably as well known as the substitute goalkeeper for the second team at Borussia Mönchengladbach.

The personnel issue alone stands in the way of a quick change for Hendrik Wüst. But the Christian Democrat will soon have to think about what happens next. Before the elections in April 2027, the questions will not diminish as to whether Wüst sees his place in Düsseldorf or Berlin. If he fails to give a clear answer, voters could punish him. Norbert Röttgen failed in the 2012 election as Prime Minister because he left it open whether he would move from Berlin to Düsseldorf even after an election defeat.

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