As the head of North Rhine-Westphalia state, one of the areas worst affected when deadly floods swept western Germany in July, Laschet was criticised for his lacklustre response to the disaster. “Anyone who can lead a state like this can also lead Germany as chancellor,” Merkel said after visiting local officials leading the reconstruction effort. READ ALSO: Germany’s SPD extends lead over CDU/CSU as Greens lose ground: pollThe bloc won 33 percent at the last election in 2017 under Merkel. He also accompanied Merkel on Friday to the flood-stricken village of Altenahr in Rhineland-Palatinate state. Merkel said she would continue to appear alongside Laschet on the campaign trail and insisted her fellow party member “knows he has my support”.

Source: The Local September 05, 2021 18:00 UTC