Greece awaits Merkel’s successor at helm of CDU

With three candidates vying on Friday and Saturday to take over the leadership of the Christian Democratic Party (CDU) and succeed Angela Merkel as German chancellor, Greece is weighing who could best serve its interest – Armin Laschet, premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, Norbert Rottgen, chairman of the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee, and Friedrich Merz, a corporate lawyer and former MP.

Merz is seen as the worst candidate as he was in favor of Greece’s ejection from the eurozone in 2011, and recently opposed Germany taking in migrants from Greek islands.

Laschet has insisted that the solution to the migration problem can only be European and, following the border crisis in March, called for increased pressure on Ankara.

Rottgen had, contrary to Merz, opposed Grexit during the financial crisis, while he signed a text after last year’s fire at Moria for Germany to host 5,000 migrants.