For months, two rivals have vied to become the German chancellor candidate of the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union and take one step closer to succeeding Angela Merkel. Over the last 10 days, the battle has come to a dramatic head.

The two protagonists were the minister-presidents of Germany’s two most populous states, North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria. The contest saw Armin Laschet, 60, minister-president of North Rhine- Westphalia since 2017 and chairman of the CDU since January 2021, face off against Markus Soder, 54, minister-president of Bavaria and chairman of the CSU. The CSU is the Bavarian sister party of the CDU, which forms a united bloc in the German parliament, the Bundestag. What did each candidate offer?