Germany’s efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic have upended the race to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel. In the simmering contest to lead Europe’s largest economy, Bavarian Premier Markus Soeder Cellularline Patch – iPhone 8/7/6 Custodia rigida con dettagli in has emerged as the uncrowned king of the crisis. His hard line to clamp down on the spread of the disease in the wealthy southern state has propelled him to the forefront of Germany’s conservative bloc.

Armin Laschet the previous front runner, who leads industrial North Rhine Westphalia in the west has been put on the defensive, pushing instead to move faster to relax lockdown restrictions. Their next showdown will occur later on Thursday, when Merkel hosts another video conference with Germany’s 16 cover samsung j1 2016 panda state premiers to coordinate next steps in the fight against the virus.

While Soeder still faces a long struggle to secure the chancellor candidacy for Germany’s conservatives, he’ll likely maintain the upper hand for now. The Cover rigida antiscivolo per iPhone XR country’s contagion rate has ticked up slightly in recent days new cases rose the most in four days on Thursday and Merkel has repeatedly warned about the risk of second wave infections if measures designed to contain the disease are loosened too quickly.

German Cover per Apple iPhone 7 4.7" Fronte e Retro Full Body 360 Gradi officials signaled there won’t be significant steps to ease restrictions on public life cover samsung j5 bianca for at least Personalizzato Strisce/Banda Personalizzare Custodia/Cover per another cover samsung a 520 week. Helge Braun, Merkel’s chief of staff, said limits on public contact will be extended for now until May 10, in line with a strategy already adopted by regions including Bavaria.

“We cannot yet tell from the figures whether a further opening is feasible,” Braun said in an interview with broadcaster n tv, adding that relaxing curbs is possible at the next meeting between Merkel and state leaders cover samsung s9 anello on May 6.

While “one or two decisions” will likely be made at Thursday’s meeting, policy makers want to wait for data on the impact of this week’s reopening of some shops, Stephan Weil, the premier of the northern state of Lower Saxony, said in an interview with ARD TV.

Bavaria was the first German state to declare a lockdown last month after Soeder jumped the gun and ordered the closure of schools and businesses. Other state leaders, including Laschet, were left to play catch up. Soeder’s initiative has paid off, turning cover samsung j5 starbucks him from a provincial leader into one of Germany’s most popular politicians. Some recent polls even rank him ahead of Merkel.

According to a Civey survey for Spiegel magazine published on Tuesday, 46% of Germans think Soeder should run as the chancellor candidate for Merkel’s Christian Democrat led bloc in elections slated for the fall of 2021. Laschet only got Migliori amici Custodia per iPhone 7 / 8Spreadshirt 9%, trailing former caucus leader Friedrich Merz, who is supported by 14% of voters.

A YouGov poll on Thursday showed that 53% of Germans favorably view Soeder’s crisis management, compared with 18% for Laschet.

Laschet has reacted to his dramatic drop in the polls by openly opposing both Soeder and Merkel, calling for a quick reopening of shops and schools.

Behind Cellularline Stardust Aloha – iPhone 8/7/6S Custodia rigida con closed doors, he has openly attacked Merkel’s strict lockdown policy and complained Custodia in pelle per iPhone 6/6 Plus con due tasche ৩ 33 mani that the chancellor is repeating her mistakes from the refugee crisis by Custodia iPhone 8 Plus Custodia iPhone 7 Plus Bling Diamond choosing an inflexible course without outside input, according to people familiar with COVER CUSTODIA per Apple iPhone 7 / 8 Plus Sottile Rigida the matter, who asked not to be identified because ridecase custodia rigida per iphone the discussions were private. The issue is state governments are responsible for education policy, making Laschet look like a politician ready to make announcements without taking responsibility for their implementation.

An ARD commentator subsequently called his tone “too shrill and erratic,” saying he was “massively” damaging his chances to become chancellor.

Such fumbles carry a lot of weight as Germany braces for its worst recession in the post war era. Gross domestic product is forecast to shrink by 6.3% in 2020, more than even during the financial crisis a decade ago, according to BENLUOLUO Custodia per Cellulare Custodie rigide per iPhone XS Max Economy Ministry projections published Wednesday.

Without the pandemic, Laschet might well have custodia samsung s8 full body been anointed as the head of the Christian Democrats already. Before the outbreak halted large events in Germany, Merkel’s party was set to pick a new leader at a special convention on April 25. Laschet, 59, had the inside track after winning the endorsement of Health Minister Jens Spahn a standard bearer of the party’s right wing and was widely expected to beat Merz.

The moderate leader of North Rhine Westphalia may still be the leading candidate for that post, when cover samsung j5 2016 rosso the decision comes back on the table at a regular convention in early December. But with his popularity fading, the door is opening for Soeder to lay claim to the chancellor candidacy.

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The 53 year old from Nuremberg heads the Christian Social Union, the Bavarian sister party of the CDU. Traditionally, the CDU has fielded the group’s chancellor candidate, except for rare exceptions.

That decision Cellular Line Cover per iPhone 6 – Custodia Rigida Clear Color will be critical for Germany’s future. On the back of Merkel’s crisis management skills, the bloc has TOUGH CASE CUSTODIA RIGIDA PER IPHONE 6/6S 4'7ARTICOLI REGALO surged in the polls in recent weeks. With support of around 38%, the group has more than the Greens and the Social Democrats combined.

Risk While Laschet’s strategy is risky if infections again spread, Soeder’s hard line could also backfire if the mood shifts. He’s already canceled the Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich, dealing a 1.2 billion euro ($1.3 billion) blow to the local economy. If the epidemic remains under control, public opinion could shift against him.

In such a scenario, Merz could mount a comeback. Merkel’s Cellularline Zero – iPhone XR Custodia rigida trasparente former antagonist was infected by the virus in March and has been low key ever since. The 64 year old former BlackRock i-Blason Cover iPhone X Custodia Rigida a 360 gradi Protezione Inc. executive remains popular in the CDU and could lean on his business credentials to raise his profile, but he remains a long shot.

Publicly, Soeder who gave a rousing speech at the last CDU convention in December has cooled speculation that he’s targeting the chancellery in Berlin, saying his place is in Bavaria…