(de-news.net) – Former German defense minister and CDU chair Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer will assumed the presidency of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), an institution closely linked to the German conservative party’s intellectual and organizational spheres. She prevailed in the initial round of balloting at the KAS assembly, according to accounts, where she faced Günter Krings, a personality regarded as one of the most influential members of the CDU/CSU faction in the Bundestag. The voting outcome recorded 28 ballots in Kramp-Karrenbauer’s favor, 21 for Krings, and one abstention. Krings, who leads the North Rhine–Westphalia delegation within the CDU/CSU bloc in parliament, represents the largest regional contingent in the CDU/CSU alliance, underscoring the significance of his candidacy.

Observers noted that the contest ultimately confirmed the advantage of the more widely recognized candidate. Kramp-Karrenbauer, a 63‑year‑old politician from Saarland, had previously held the post of defense minister in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition government between 2019 and 2021. Her earlier ascent to the CDU chairmanship in 2018 marked a decisive moment in the party’s leadership history. She retained the position until early 2021. Friedrich Merz succeeded her at the beginning of 2022. Although Merz had put forward Krings as his preferred candidate, Kramp-Karrenbauer benefited from endorsements by prominent figures outside parliamentary life, including Thomas Sternberg, former president of the Central Committee of German Catholics, and Eva Maria Welskop-Deffaa, president of the German Caritas Association.

Kramp-Karrenbauer’s election also represents a transition in the foundation’s leadership. She succeeds Norbert Lammert, who had presided over the institution for many years but chose not to stand for reelection. Lammert’s departure opened the way for a generational shift, with Kramp-Karrenbauer now positioned to shape the foundation’s role in policy research and political education.