To calm the waters, Merkel agreed to open the Cabinet doors to a new CDU generation. It was a painful concession for the chancellor because it forced her to push out longtime political allies such as Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière and Health Minister Hermann Gröhe. [...]
Spahn, 37, has been vocal and public in opposing Merkel on issues such as migration and dual citizenship. At a party convention in 2014, he elbowed his way into the CDU’s executive board, beating out Merkel’s own candidate for the post.
Earlier in her career, Merkel earned a reputation for dispatching such renegades swiftly and often brutally. That she failed to do so with Spahn is seen as a sign of her weakening grip on the party.
The chancellor’s waning influence was palpable at Monday’s convention. While delegates rewarded her hour-long speech with polite applause, they saved their enthusiasm for another speaker — Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the party’s new general secretary and a figure many would like to see as the CDU’s next leader. [...]
Despite the growing speculation over Merkel’s successor, chances are the chancellor will remain in control for some time. Earlier this month she dismissed suggestions she might step down after another two years as chancellor, insisting she “would like to serve a full term.”
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