the BERLIN – Is the first shot of the scene of the race for the post-Merkel. the Norbert Roettgen , the influential chairman of the Foreign affairs Committee of the Bundestag, is the first exponent of the Cdu to officially announce candidacy for the presidency of the party. It adds up to Armin Laschet, Jens Spahn, and Friedrich Merz, who stepped forward only informally and are meeting on a confidential basis, the current chairman of the party, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer .