Drei Probleme für Friedrich Merz

Friedrich Merz faces three pressing issues over the weekend as CDU leader, including a dispute over the sugar tax, the succession of ECB President Christine Lagarde, and above all the party's candidate for the federal presidency. The article by Rasmus Buchsteiner focuses on why Merz is under pressure regarding the personnel decision involving Ilse Aigner and which deals are now being negotiated. The federal presidential candidacy is presented as the most consequential of the three problems, with Aigner's role central to the outcome. What to watch next is how Merz resolves the Aigner question and what agreements emerge from the associated negotiations.