CDU | The CDU base is putting pressure on Merz

The Chancellor will have to face his base in the Konrad Adenauer House. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa In the midst of his party's crisis, Chancellor and CDU leader Friedrich Merz has to face criticism from the party base. On Monday, the district chairmen of the Christian Democrats will meet with the party leadership in Berlin. The two-day conference in the Konrad-Adenauer-Haus and in the Bundestag will be about how the CDU can get back on track after a series of election defeats and in view of poor poll numbers. But even before the meeting it became clear how great the grassroots discontent is with the black-red federal government and the leadership of the party. Individual district chairmen are even questioning the personal union of the chancellery and party leadership.

The expectations for the meeting are correspondingly high. For example, the district chairwoman from Frankfurt (Oder), Désirée Schrade, describes the mood in her regional association as alarming. The alarm light is on “dark red,” she told the German Press Agency (dpa). The people leaving the party are noticeable in their district association, and these are all justified by dissatisfaction with federal politics. “I would like to know from him how he imagines the future of our party,” said Schrade, referring to Merz.

The debate is not just about political content, but also about the leadership of the party. Schrade brought up a separation of the Chancellery and party leadership. It takes someone who has the strength to take care of the party. "If he doesn't have that, he shouldn't do it anymore," she said of Merz.

"When people leave the party, the reason is federal politics."

Christian Große, chairman of the CDU district association Potsdam-Mittelmark, also sees the mood in the party as bad. The expectations of many party members have been disappointed since they took over government responsibility. The dissatisfaction is also reflected in resignations. “When people leave the party, the reason is federal politics,” said Große. He warned that policies that do not deliver tangible results pave the way for populists.

The chairman of the CDU Weimarer Land district association, Hannes Raebel, also expressed doubts about the leadership in Berlin. He now has “very little trust in the Berlin management staff.” He described the recent state election results as an “absolute catastrophe.” If the party ignores developments and simply continues as before, it could face an even greater loss of power in the long term.

The criticism of Merz from the base is harsh, but this is opposed by officials who insist on solidarity in these difficult times. The Cologne CDU district leader Serap Güler, who is also State Minister in the Foreign Office, rejected speculation about a possible change at the party leadership. A scenario in which Merz could give up the party leadership in favor of North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst is currently not on the agenda, she said in the Playbook podcast from “Politico”. She also rejects a general separation of the Chancellery and party leadership. At the same time, she admitted: “There is a lot going on at the grassroots level. There is trouble at the grassroots level, that’s right.”

Instead, Güler calls for the district associations to be more closely involved in the federal party's decisions. This had already been one of the criticisms of the Chancellor's leadership style, as he wanted to rule too much without considering other perspectives or interests in his own party. The district chairmen know firsthand where the CDU is reaching people with its policies and where it needs to improve, said Güler. She therefore expects an open exchange about how the party is perceived locally and what issues concern people.

Secretary General Franziska Hoppermann also focused on grassroots participation. We want to talk together about how the CDU can make successful progress again and develop answers to the challenges of the time. She also announced regional member conferences for the coming year.

The need for discussion is great. The three state elections in September hit the CDU hard. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania it failed to enter a state parliament for the first time in its history. In Berlin it was replaced as the strongest force by the Left. In Saxony-Anhalt it lost almost 20 percentage points. At the federal level, the Union has also come under significant pressure in surveys and has been replaced as the strongest force by the AfD. Given the great dissatisfaction with Merz within his own party, the Chancellor has experienced a blatant loss of power within his own ranks.

It will not be easy to repair the loss of authority within the party again, after a host of calls for resignation, rumors of a chancellor swap, several camps of dissenters and an orchestra of different criticisms of the chancellor's policies and style. The conference is intended to provide an opportunity to discuss the political direction and organizational future of the party and obviously contribute to party peace. According to the CDU, 164 of the almost 330 district chairmen have registered.

The program initially includes a discussion with Hoppermann and a meeting with Merz on Monday afternoon. A panel discussion entitled “How we reform Germany” with Chancellor Nina Warken, Education Minister Karin Prien and the chairman of the Junge Union, Johannes Winkel, as well as an exchange with the Structure and Statutes Commission are also planned. However, some district chairmen have already criticized the fact that organizational questions could take up too much space and that the discussion with the Chancellor would therefore be neglected.

In addition to government work and the question of leadership, the grassroots will also discuss the debate about succession to the Federal President's office. The CSU is campaigning for the Bavarian state parliament president Ilse Aigner and is supported by parts of the eastern state associations, while Merz has not yet made a commitment. The CDU top committees are scheduled to discuss the personnel on November 9th. However, it is unlikely that Merz will be able to address the pent-up discontent in his party with this meeting. With agencies.

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