Annegret Kramp‑Karrenbauer, the chair of the Konrad‑Adenauer‑Stiftung (KAS), insists that her successful campaign against Friedrich Merz’ candidate did not leave a lasting impact. “The chancellor and I have exchanged several times since then and are on good terms” she told the “Tagesspiegel”, adding, “We maintain a healthy relationship, as it should be between the foundation’s chair and the CDU leader”.
In late December, the CDU politician won a secret election at the foundation’s membership meeting against Günter Krings. Merz had advocated for the choice of the Union’s deputy parliamentary group chair. Kramp‑Karrenbauer, who defeated Merz in the 2018 CDU leadership contest, downplayed the event: “The mood at the foundation’s membership meeting after the vote was very calm because it was a fair, democratic process” she said.
As chair, the former defence minister seeks to raise the visibility of the Konrad‑Adenauer‑Stiftung. “The foundation is strong in the analysis of political processes. It generates many good ideas, but we often present them too cautiously” she noted. “We are very active in political education, but we must focus even more on how we can reach younger people more effectively with our resources and broaden our impact”.
