CDU crisis: Dangerous vacuum in the middle class

T he CDU was thrown out of a state parliament for the first time in its history. This is bad news, even for those who cannot imagine voting for this party. Because it not only shakes the CDU to its core, which is one of the pillars of democracy, it also leaves a dangerous vacuum in the middle class.

It's no secret who wants to occupy this middle in the future: the self-proclaimed Alternative for Germany, a party that strives for an ethnically homogeneous Germany. And she succeeds quite well. Contrary to what the CDU is now saying, it was not wiped out in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania by the ruthless Manuela Schwesig, but rather lost most of its voters there - as in Berlin and two weeks ago in Saxony-Anhalt - to the AfD. Anyone who doesn't want the Völkisch to spread out in the middle has to hope for a stable and self-confident CDU, even if they reject it habitually and in terms of content.

The Christian Democrats were always strong when they managed to appeal to voters in many different milieus. Angela Merkel managed to do this pretty well for 16 years. When Friedrich Merz finally managed to inherit Merkel at the third attempt, he promised “pure CDU” – and evaporated the CDU’s electorate. Instead of representing the interests of many, the party became a client party for a few - real estate companies, wealthy people, employers. A party that sued against the rent cap, placed cars above all else and rolled back laws in the interests of the gas lobby. A kind of Christian-democratic FDP – with corresponding election results.

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The current “reforms” also have this exact same side - they relieve the burden on companies and impose a lot on people with the vague promise that their children will get better again at some point. If the CDU does not succeed in eliminating this imbalance, then the reforms will not find acceptance and the party will continue to shrink.

After the elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, there is a threat of an AfD government for the first time. The taz reports what is at stake - and who is now defending democracy. All texts about the series can be found here.

A CDU that takes its claim as a people's party seriously must try to reach out more broadly and reach out to those who Merz derided as left-wing and green wackos over a year ago. The Chancellor himself has now admitted the obvious, namely that the CDU is no longer a people's party everywhere and that many people have the feeling that things are not fair in society. Merz specifically mentioned the coexistence of private and statutory health insurance. So did Merz understand?

It would be nice. It probably isn't. Because in the same breath he railed against destructive forces that want to expropriate, thus driving polarization forward. Does Merz know that he is playing into the hands of the AfD, the party that wants to deepen the rifts with the left-wing camp? In doing so, the AfD wants to position itself as a bourgeois-conservative force. Even if Merz knows this, does he still have the authority to change this course? This is also an open question. And it could tear the CDU apart.