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epa09922647 (L-R) CDU party and faction Chairman Friedrich Merz, Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state and CDU top candidate for the NRW state election Hendrik Wuest and Prime Minister of Bavaria Markus Soeder (CSU) speak to the media during a joint press conference on a joint closed-door meeting of CDU and CSU party boards in Cologne, Germany, 02 May 2022. The joint presidiums of Christian Democratic Party and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) met in a closed-door session. EPA/SASCHA STEINBACH