German Chancellor Angela Merkel has won reelection as the leader of the Christian Democratic Union.
ADVERTISEMENTGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel has won reelection as the leader of the Christian Democratic Union.
It will be her ninth term as chairwoman.
The only candidate in the running, Merkel gained 89.5 percent of the votes cast at the CDU congress – her worst result as chancellor and her second-worst performance in a vote concerning her.
Ahead of the ballot, she made an effort to appease the conservative wing of the party.
“We do not want any parallel societies, and where they exist we have to tackle them. Our laws have priority over honour codes, tribal and family rules, and over Sharia law… That also means that with inter-personal communication, which plays a crucial role, we show our face. This is why the full-face veil is not appropriate and should be outlawed wherever it is legally possible – it does not belong to us.”
But she got the loudest applause when she announced tougher migration laws would be implemented and faster deportations carried out.
There will also be fines for not adhering to German rules and for not following measures for integration.
Germany, which will hold a general election next year, received over a million migrants and asylum seekers in 2015.