Kohl’s Party Picks Schaeuble as Successor
Germany’s Christian Democrats elected Helmut Kohl’s handpicked successor Saturday to guide their conservative party after their worst election defeat in half a century.
Party delegates elected Wolfgang Schaeuble, one of Germany’s most popular politicians, to the party chairmanship. Kohl gave up the job after his 16-year reign as chancellor ended when voters dumped him Sept. 27.
Tears glistened on Kohl’s cheeks as one of his closest aides, former Labor Minister Norbert Bluem, praised his achievements, topped by German reunification in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Schaeuble, 56, faces the task of rebuilding morale and focusing the party on new ideas, something Kohl resisted during his tenure.
In his convention speech, he said the Christian Democrats must stay united behind their core values--the free market, European unity, law and order, and a commitment to social justice rooted in Christianity.
He promised to make the Christian Democrats a strong opposition to the new center-left government led by the Social Democrats.
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