Armin Laschet wins battle to lead Merkel’s bloc in German election

Armin Laschet (Michael Sohn/AP)

Armin Laschet, the governor of Germany’s most populous state, has won a bruising power struggle to become the candidate of Angela Merkel’s centre-right bloc for chancellor in the September election.

Mr Laschet, 60, now faces another big battle: to connect with voters and win over frustrated fellow conservatives who backed his more popular rival, Markus Soeder.