Armin Laschet, state prime minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, was elected the new chairperson of the ruling German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) on Saturday, replacing Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.

At the two-day online congress which began Friday, Armin Laschet, a proponent of the continuation of Merkel s politics received 521, Friedrich Merz, a believer in traditional conservative politics, received 466 votes, while the environmentalist Norbert Rottgen was eliminated in the first round of voting.

Germany-wide federal parliamentary elections will be held next year, and the new CDU leader may not necessarily be the party s candidate for chancellor.

Peter Szijjarto, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, congratulated Armin Laschet on Facebook.

„Congratulations to Armin Laschet on being elected Chairperson of the CDU. We are ready to continue cooperation,” Szijjarto wrote.