State politician Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer might only be popular among a small number of Catholics in Germany but things could be about to change, as Angela Merkel is reportedly grooming her to become the next German Chancellor.
Kramp-Karrenbauer, who is commonly regarded in Germany as AKK, has been described as the "mini-Merkel." Observers noticed that she received an anointment as the person likely to succeed the chancellor from the chancellor herself, after AKK won as the general secretary of the country's ruling party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), in February.
Since 2011, AKK led Saarland, with its small Catholic population in Western Germany. Her new post, however, has been seen as a path for taking over from Merkel when she retires after her fourth term. Merkel was also the general secretary of the CDU before she became the chancellor in 2005.
AKK, however, has a number of differences with her mentor beginning with her background as a state politician from the West while Merkel is a federal politician from the East. AKK is a social conservative who has a traditional Catholic upbringing and is aligned with the right-wing CDU, while Merkel is a Lutheran with seemingly progressive and left-leaning views.
The Catholic politician opposes gay marriage, and unlike Merkel, whose policies about the Syrian refugee crisis have been questioned, AKK wants strict enforcements against rejected refugees in Germany. AKK champions labor rights and the improvement of minimum wage just like Merkel though.
Observers, however, can't explicitly regard AKK as either left or right. They see her more as a centrist who could unify opposing views in her party despite her traditional beliefs.
"I think it is necessary for us to make clear once again what the bedrock of our party is, namely the Christian view of humanity," AKK told Spiegel Online when asked about how she'll lead the ruling party. "The CDU was a party that united different denominational and ideological currents," she added
