Nobody speaks openly. But even former companions are moving away from Armin Laschet. The problem: who should lead the CDU when the party leader resigns? The call for a basic participation is getting louder.
The pressure on CDU boss Armin Laschet is increasing. The party is discussing a new structure in terms of content and personnel more and more openly. “There has to be a federal party congress for this, no later than January,” said party vice Jens Spahn of “Welt am Sonntag”. “Nobody can deny that mistakes were made in the election campaign and that our top candidate did not draw properly. That alone cost a lot of percent.” Regardless of the outcome of the explorations, it must be clear: “Now it’s a matter of preparing for the future, just going on like this is not an option.”
Despite its electoral debacle, the Union wants to explore the chances of forming a joint government this Sunday with the FDP and on Tuesday with the Greens. Such a Jamaica alliance is only given chances if the talks about an SPD-led traffic light coalition with the Greens and the FDP, which continue in parallel, should fail. CSU boss Markus Söder had already declared last Tuesday: “Olaf Scholz currently has the best chances of becoming chancellor – clearly.”
Is Friedrich Merz coming back?
Several CDU politicians are pressing for a member vote on a new line-up if the Jamaica explorations should fail. Among them are the members of the Bundestag Carsten Linnemann and Christian von Stetten from the economic wing, who had repeatedly advocated Friedrich Merz as party leader. The “Bild” reported on Friday evening that Merz wanted to apply again for the party chairmanship, should there be a member survey or basic election.
“We will not get around the involvement of the members in the next decision on the chairmanship,” said Linnemann of the “Bild”. He told the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) that if Jamaica does not materialize and Laschet loses his office, the CDU should involve the grassroots in the election of its future leadership. Von Stetten told the newspaper that if no government participation succeeds,” it would be the time come to the base “.
Spahn clearly criticized the state of the party – and the way the CDU and CSU deal with each other. The CDU has not had any major programmatic debates for many years. Since October 2018, she has been wrestling over the leadership question. “Many open questions have been postponed instead of being decided on in a profile-building manner,” he complained. The obvious should not obscure the structural problems. “The CDU and CSU can only be successful if they stand together. This has been lacking too often not only in the last few months, but in the last few years.”
CDU members are calling for a basic decision on personnel issues
For the future, a new procedure for the establishment of the candidate for chancellor and for the elaboration of the election program is necessary. “The logic that only the two chairmen can make such important decisions together is outdated,” said Spahn. After this election result, it is about the line-up for the future. “The 2025 project begins today. The next generation after Angela Merkel must now become more visible, take on positions and take responsibility”.
Foreign expert Norbert Röttgen told the “Tagesspiegel” (Sunday): “We should learn that important personnel issues such as a candidate for chancellor cannot be pushed through with a committee majority – against the majority of MPs, members and the public.” In certain situations he therefore considers member decisions to be sensible.
Hamburg’s CDU boss Christoph Ploß sees it similarly: “The next personnel decisions must necessarily be made with greater involvement of the CDU members,” he told “Bild”. Christian Hirte, the chairman of the CDU in Thuringia, also took this view in the FAS: “In our party many people have the impression that our management bodies have not always decided on personnel issues in accordance with the majority will of the members.” It is “necessary to involve the base of the CDU more in personnel decisions”.
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