Merz speaks to the bottom concerning the CDU's primary program | EUROtoday

IIn Berlin, the CDU determined to carry six conferences on the draft of the brand new primary program. Party chief Friedrich Merz took this as a chance to look again on his time within the opposition thus far.

In his speech he recalled the social gathering's trauma. The CDU misplaced the federal election in 2021 “because we were no longer good enough,” mentioned Merz. The CDU/CSU faction first needed to study to be an opposition, to develop concepts and to say what may very well be accomplished higher and otherwise.

A 12 months in the past he advised the parliamentary group: “We have now arrived at this role.” He additionally mentioned that the second section was now about creating a program. “We did that.” This section will finish with the social gathering convention in May, at which the delegates will talk about amendments and resolve on the brand new program. Then the social gathering will likely be ready for nationwide elections – even when they arrive earlier.

Difficult matters are not noted

As on the conferences in Mainz, Hanover, Chemnitz, Cologne and Stuttgart, CDU supporters additionally had the chance to step as much as the microphone in Berlin. And once more it went off fairly quietly. Difficult matters didn’t come up in Berlin. No one addressed the present debate concerning the CDU parliamentary group's determination within the Dresden metropolis council to approve an AfD software for a fee card for asylum seekers.

In his speech, by which Merz as soon as once more described the AfD as “relegation for Germany,” he solely briefly touched on the firewall concern with out addressing the Dresden incident. “There is no cooperation with these people,” he mentioned. Earlier within the day he had mentioned that the choice of the CDU parliamentary group within the Dresden metropolis council was “correct in substance, unacceptable in terms of procedure”.

Behind closed doorways

A younger man needed to know from Merz how the Union might seem united in the long run. The chairman of the social gathering and parliamentary group was joyful to take up the ball. “We went through this election year completely divided,” he mentioned about 2021. He and Markus Söder agreed that this is able to not occur once more. Merz repeated a promise: “We will go into this election year with a common proposal.”

Merz spoke of a “new culture of discussion” within the social gathering and parliamentary group, which mentioned: Everything is mentioned, however behind closed doorways and afterwards joint selections are made and represented. Last week, the Bundestag faction mentioned the Taurus very brazenly, i.e. the query of whether or not Berlin ought to present Kiev with the cruise missile, which is what the Union represents. There had been colleagues who had considerations and in addition some who had vital reservations. And he mentioned within the group assembly that this is able to be mentioned brazenly and over time. Nobody will likely be reprimanded.

Despite all of the unanimity, there was one essential query on the convention in Berlin. A lady who was very grateful for the draft program known as for extra participation from the members and requested: “Who decided that Ursula von der Leyen would be the top candidate?” Merz replied that this was accomplished in a course of by the federal social gathering and “with colleagues Colleagues across Europe” was determined and von der Leyen submitted to a secret vote on the elected EPP social gathering congress.

And then got here the punchline: Now, after all, you possibly can criticize each determination, however he needed to call the choice, he mentioned, referring to the site visitors mild coalition settlement. It says that the correct to suggest the European Commissioner lies with the Greens, “provided the Commission President is not from Germany”. Smiles within the corridor. “So, now just briefly in your mind’s eye: Hofreiter or Ursula von der Leyen?” The snicker was there.