Germany’s Christian Democrats said on Sunday they still planned to hold a physical party congress to elect a new leader and potential successor to Chancellor Angela Merkel, dismissing a report that it would have to be held online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Germany is experiencing an accelerating second wave of infections, and the Handelsblatt daily earlier quoted a party leader as saying it would be irresponsible to hold a gathering for 1,000 delegates on Dec 4 as planned.

But a spokesperson for the centre-right party said the in-person event in Stuttgart was still on: “That’s what the CDU leadership has decided.”...