The latest poll results, which predict only 22 percent for the two Union parties, are cause for concern. For the first time since 2017, the CDU and CSU are on par with the Social Democrats on the Sunday issue. The SPD has recently been able to catch up strongly.
At the official election campaign kick-off of the CDU on Saturday in the Tempodrom in Berlin, the leading politicians called for a fight. “It doesn’t matter how this election ends,” said Armin Laschet, the highly controversial chancellor candidate within the party. “We will fight, I will fight, with all I can, so that this country is not taken over by ideologues.”
The Union does not want to govern because it feels like it, “but because we have to govern so that Germany can take a good path,” said Armin Laschet.
The outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is no longer running this year, was also drawn onto the campaign stage. She actually wanted to deliberately hold back in the election campaign.
Bridge builder Armin Laschet
In view of the steadily declining polls for the CDU / CSU and the disastrous popularity ratings of Armin Laschet, Merkel now has to take part. Merkel sprinkled Laschet in her speech: It was always important for Laschet to focus on people with their inviolable dignity and to build bridges between people.
Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder warned of a loss of power in Berlin on Saturday. “Everyone has to understand today that it’s really about everything.” Because: “I’m not in the mood for opposition,” said Söder. At the same time he called on the sister party to “finally make a sensible election campaign”. The Bavarian Prime Minister wanted to go into the Chancellor’s race as the top candidate of the Union parties, but had to admit defeat to Laschet.
Big Söder praise for Merkel
Söder extensively praised Merkel’s 16 years as Federal Chancellor: “The record of an outstanding Federal Chancellor speaks for itself,” said Söder. “We have 16 years of Angela Merkel, and that was 16 extraordinarily good years for our country,” he said – and added to Merkel: “This is a very great era for you.”
