Merkel had a difficult time in the run-up to her recent party conference, because Jürgen Rüttgers, the minister-president of the largest German state, North-Rhine Westphalia, reminded the Christian Democrats of their historical support for strong social-welfare policies. Only Royal may be said to represent softer lines against the hard-liner of the governing party, Nicolas Sarkozy.
默克尔在她前一次的党代会上走上前台也是颇费了一番周折，因为德国最大的州北莱茵-威斯特法伦州的州长约尔根·吕特格尔斯提醒基督教民主党注意他们在历史上一贯支持强有力的社会福利政策。只有罗耶尔相对于执政党的代表萨尔科齐的强硬路线而言可能代表了软的价值。