There is still some way to go before the next federal election – but within the party there are already first attempts to run for chancellor in the Union. State politicians are also getting involved.
Hesse’s Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) insists that state politicians have a say in the election of a Union candidate for chancellor in the upcoming federal elections. “The state chairmen and prime ministers want to have a say in the candidacy for chancellor,” Rhein told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
Likewise, the CSU chairman must be “of course involved”. “Markus Söder also plays a prominent role in the Union as Bavarian Prime Minister. In any case, we need a chancellor candidate that the entire party supports and who also inspires the entire party.”
Rhein also agreed with Söder’s suggestion that the candidate for chancellor should only be clarified after the state elections in three eastern German states in September 2024: “I wouldn’t mind. Then we can decide in peace.” It is certain that party leader Friedrich Merz will propose “an orderly procedure”.
“Discuss everything, behind closed doors”
The Hessian head of government, who leads an alliance with the Greens, emphasized that a black-green coalition works if both partners stick to the coalition agreement and “discuss everything, behind closed doors”. Merz had described the Greens as the “main opponent” of the Union in the federal government and thus drew criticism from within the party. A new state parliament will be elected in Hesse on October 8th.
Rhein also rejected cooperation with the AfD at the municipal level. “If there is an important and meaningful project on site, the CDU can submit its own application, and then the municipal parliament agrees to the CDU application. It’s not that difficult,” said the Christian Democrat. What shocked him the most was the AfD’s “brutally anti-European course.” “This is an attack on the European peace project and the prosperity of our export nation.”
Source: Stern
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