Friedrich Merz was re-elected as CDU chief with round 90 % | EUROtoday

CDU chief Friedrich Merz was confirmed in his workplace with a transparent majority. At the federal celebration convention of the Christian Democrats in Berlin on Monday, round 90 % of the 1,001 delegates voted for the 68-year-old, because the convention presidium introduced. Merz has been CDU chairman since January 2022. At that point, he was elected at a digital celebration convention with 94.6 % of the delegate votes due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In his speech, Merz had beforehand referred to as for a turnaround in financial and social coverage. “We are deeply concerned about the structural crisis the German economy is currently experiencing,” he stated on the CDU celebration convention. Trust within the German location suffered massively. “Germany is on an economic policy ghost ride and we will end this next year.”

What is predicted once more is an financial and labor market coverage “that is reliable and that, above all, does not punish the hard-working people, but rather rewards them.” The CDU contradicts everybody who “dreams of a land of milk and honey in which higher wages, more free time and more security can be had at the same time”.

Merz reiterated his celebration's aim of abolishing the “citizens' money” reformed by the visitors mild coalition in its current kind. “Even the name sounds a lot like an unconditional basic income and that’s how it is understood by many,” he stated. “This is not an attack on the welfare state, this is not a dismantling of social services.” The CDU’s proposals for a brand new system of primary safety are “the prerequisite for our welfare state to be able to function again.”

Merz expressly emphasised the contribution of agriculture to the nationwide financial system and likewise spoke out in favor of aid. “We have to reward those who do and can do something more, such as tax-free overtime or tax-free work in retirement.”

“We can win elections”

Merz declared securing peace and freedom to be an important activity within the coming years. To obtain this, Germany must make investments extra in its nationwide and alliance protection capabilities, he demanded. In many respects, freedom is now extra critically threatened than it has been for a very long time. “Peace does not come about through peacefulness alone,” stated Merz, primarily to the SPD.

The opposition chief within the Bundestag spoke of the neglect of our armed forces over a few years – “and we were not entirely uninvolved in that”. Nobody may have imagined that there may very well be struggle in Europe once more. The CDU should present solutions that make it distinguishable from different events.

With a view to the three state elections in East Germany in September, Merz declared struggle on the AfD. The elections is not going to be a stroll within the park, he stated. “We will fight for the majority, for first place,” he shouted to the 1,001 delegates. And above all, the CDU will “deal with this AfD,” stated Merz. “We are taking up the fight with this party.”

He was hopeful. “We can win elections, we have shown that since 2021. With Daniel Günther in Schleswig-Holstein, Hendrik Wüst in North Rhine-Westphalia, Kai Wegner in the capital Berlin and Boris Rhein in Hesse, we won the state elections.” At this level there was applause. “We win elections against every other party,” shouted Merz. He additionally praised the exceptionally good relationship with the CSU. “That was not always so.”

Rejection of “Rumgenörgel” within the nation

He spoke out towards “nagging” and that democracy was being questioned by each left-wing radicals and right-wing radicals. “We are proud of our country, of our constitution. We are happy that it has allowed us to live in freedom, peace and prosperity for seven decades.” Of these 75 years, the CDU was in authorities for greater than 50 years. The umbrella idea of freedom stands above the brand new celebration program. “We say as many laws as necessary, as much freedom and responsibility as possible.”

Merz emphasised as soon as once more that the decision for a caliphate state in Germany is totally unacceptable, as he did the day earlier than on the WELT Talk. “We demand that consistent action be taken against the people and organizations who are responsible for this.” Anyone who needs peaceable coexistence should present these folks boundaries and never enable a local weather of intolerance to come up in colleges or elsewhere.

In Merz's opinion, the CDU is able to governing instantly even within the occasion of early elections. “With this program, we are ready to take on government responsibility for Germany again immediately or at the latest in the fall of next year. Because, dear friends: Germany can do better, but Germany must finally be governed well again,” he stated. He didn’t tackle who would then be Chancellor.

On Tuesday, the CDU needs to reposition itself with a brand new primary program. The present program dates again to 2007, in the course of the 16-year period of Chancellor Angela Merkel. In the virtually 70-page draft program, the CDU advocates “cosmopolitan patriotism” and is dedicated to a German “leading culture”. This included elementary and human rights, respect and tolerance, data of the language and historical past in addition to the popularity of Israel's proper to exist. Only those that decide to the dominant tradition can grow to be German.