(Bloomberg) — Two of the top contenders to lead Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union joined forces to create a powerful team that would likely ease pressure on the German leader to step down early.A bid by Armin Laschet — 58, a moderate in Merkel’s mold who leads the state of North Rhine-Westphalia — was bolstered by the support of Health Minister Jens Spahn, 39, a standard bearer from the party’s right wing who will not run on his own. The alliance could thwart Friedrich Merz, a long-time Merkel antagonist considered the biggest threat to the chancellor.Laschet and Spahn will hold a joint press conference in Berlin, where Spahn is expected to announce his support for Laschet’s candidacy, according to an official familiar with the plan. CDU delegates will vote on the party’s next leader at a special convention on April 25.Merz, 64, is due to meet the press at 11 a.m. After having his political career eclipsed by Merkel even before she became chancellor, he stormed back onto the political scene in 2018 in an attempt to take control of the party, only to be thwarted in a close contest.The start of the eight-week contest to become party leader — and in all likelihood the CDU’s chancellor candidate for the next election — will determine whether Merkel can see out her final term, which is due to end in the fall of 2021.For Germany the stakes are high, as the CDU has to deal with the challenge from the far-right, French demands for European integration, and the twilight of an economic era which saw its manufacturers go from strength to strength.With Spahn refraining from running, the main contest pits Laschet against Merz. Norbert Roettgen, 54, who was fired by Merkel as environment minister in 2012, is also running but is seen as an outsider.Outgoing Chairwoman Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer — Merkel’s chosen successor — had planned to stick around until year end but she was forced to accelerate the process as unrest swirled around the party. A disastrous election result in Hamburg on SUnday underscored the need for urgency.Support for Merkel’s bloc held at 26.5% in the latest Insa poll for Bild newspaper published Tuesday, with the Greens gaining 1.5 percentage points to 22% and the Social Democrats steady on 14.5%. By comparison, the CDU-led bloc secured 32.9% of the vote in the 2017 election.To contact the reporters on this story: Patrick Donahue in Berlin at pdonahue1@bloomberg.net;Arne Delfs in Berlin at adelfs@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, Chris Reiter, Iain RogersFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.