A man described in a recent biography as being “too soft, too liberal” is the favourite to succeed German Chancellor Angela Merkel as the Christian Democrats’ candidate in the next federal election next year.
Armin Laschet, 59, is Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state.
The former journalist first made a name for himself as the first minister for integration in the state of 18 million people, having been a member of the CDU since he was 18.
The practising Catholic is regarded as the Merkel continuity candidate and is hoping to secure leadership of the governing party at the CDU congress on December 4.
He is up against former Member of the European Parliament and plain-speaking businessman Freidrich Merz, and Norbert Roettgen, the former federal minister for environment under Mrs Merkel, from 2009 and 2012.
Although his main rival, Mr Merz, is more popular among voters, Mr Laschet looks likely to win the popularity contest within the party, as he builds a majority of the CDU’s 1,001 voting delegates.
French connection
Mr Laschet has been busy making the inroads in Europe over the past eight weeks.
He held a private meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, his third this year, and met with Pope Francis.
He has looked to strengthen relations with the French president, and at the last meeting brought up the Lebanese singer Fairouz, of whom he and Mr Macron are fans.
As a former MEP and a French speaker of Belgian descent, who holds the position of plenipotentiary in charge of Franco-German cultural relations, Mr Laschet has strong ties to the French government.
He could be a key ally to France when dealing with the EU's future challenges.
Mr Laschet met EU leaders in Brussels this year and travelled to Israel to open a trade and innovation office in Tel Aviv, the first of its kind.
Unlike Mr Roettgen, who has been critical of Israeli policies, Mr Laschet is a staunch supporter.
The migration question
Over the years, Mr Laschet has been unwaveringly loyal to Mrs Merkel, despite the backlash she endured after welcoming more than 1.7 million asylum seekers into the country in 2015.
In August, he visited some of the refugee camps on the Greek islands and met the country’s Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias.
Mr Laschet called on the EU to “wake up” and find lasting solutions to the migration crisis.
North Rhine-Westphalia agreed the following month to take in another 1,000 refugees from Greece after the infamous Moria camp went up in flames, displacing thousands of people.
Mr Laschet wants to address the refugee crisis by deepening relations with countries on the other side of the Mediterranean, including Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia.
He even floated the idea in an interview about offering them access to the European market.
But domestically, he has since called for a tougher stance on asylum seekers.
Contrary to many regional leaders in Germany, he was against border closures to stave off the coronavirus and thus left borders open in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The CDU is dominating the polls with about 35 per cent of the vote, and if Mr Laschet becomes the party leader there is a strong chance he will become the next chancellor of Germany.
But with the elections not being held until next autumn, this is far from guaranteed.
Germany’s Greens have had momentum and increased election hopes over the last couple of years.
Compared to the other CDU contenders, Mr Laschet may have more of chance of forming a coalition with the rival party.
He has been working with the Greens since the 1990s as part of the Pizza-Connection, a group of CDU and Green MPs that meet regularly to identify the party’s political similarities.
The CDU, Free Democratic Party and Greens nearly forged a three-party alliance in 2017, but that plan failed after the FDP withdrew from the negotiations.
Mrs Merkel has made positive noises about Mr Laschet.
When she visited North Rhine-Westphalia on August 18, she said Mr Laschet had "the tools" to run for chancellor, in the closest she has come to endorsing any potential successors.
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
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THE DETAILS
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Dir: Ron Howard
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Company%20profile
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MATCH INFO
Manchester City 4 (Gundogan 8' (P), Bernardo Silva 19', Jesus 72', 75')
Fulham 0
Red cards: Tim Ream (Fulham)
Man of the Match: Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Race%20card
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes 58-10 Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers 5-39 Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons 16-56 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The%20Killer
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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2.15pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m
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3.15pm: Handicap Dh115,000 1,000m
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Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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