Same-sex marriage became legal in Germany in 2017.
While often characterized as a "staunch" or "devout" Catholic, Kramp-Karrenbauer has been a vocal supporter of female ordination in the Church. Earlier this year, she told the weekly newspaper Die Zeit that "It is very clear: women have to take positions of leadership in the Church," eventually including women-priests but beginning with the "more realistic goal" of a female diaconate.
As the largest economy in the European Union, Germany politics plays a crucial role in the direction of the continent, with the German chancellor functioning as a de facto leader for the union. As Merkel's acknowledged preferred successor, Kramp-Karrenbauer's views on a range of policy issues will be scrutinized by leaders across the EU.
On the politically sensitive topic of mass-migration to the Europe, Merkel's open-door policy to migrants in 2015 was widely seen as out of step with broader European policy, making Germany a beacon nation for refugees and economic migrants alike, and putting pressure on neighbouring countries.
Kramp-Karrenbauer has called for a more forward-looking debate on the subject of immigration and mass-migration.
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In November, she told German television station NTV that she did not want to see a "backward-looking discussion" or "eternal debate about what was done right or wrong in the autumn of 2015." Instead, she said, she wanted to see an "honest" discussion about the current effects of years of migration "uncontrolled and without integration."