Berlin The CDU has elected a new chairman designate: 62.1 percent of the CDU members voted in favor of Friedrich Merz as the new party leader. Because the 66-year-old got an absolute majority in the first ballot, a second ballot is not necessary.
In the third attempt, it worked for Merz after he had failed twice within two years with a candidacy for the party chairmanship. In 2018 he just lost to Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, at the beginning of the year he had to admit defeat to Armin Laschet. Merz’s predecessors, however, were elected by party congress delegates. Now the party members had the floor for the first time – and gave a surprisingly clear vote for Merz.
When he found out about the result, he said, “Wow, but only very quietly. Chants of triumph are alien to me, ”said Merz on Friday after his election. But the humility prevailed to be allowed to serve as the party’s tenth CDU party chairman.
“I’m looking forward to a good cooperation with everyone in the party,” Merz continued. “We have a clear mandate, also here in the opposition. I will endeavor to fulfill this mandate with all my might. “
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The big question now is whether Merz will also reach for the parliamentary group chairmanship in the Bundestag. Even before the result of the membership decision was certain, a debate had begun about whether Union parliamentary group leader Ralph Brinkhaus should vacate his post for the new party chairman. Brinkhaus would like to continue his office beyond April – until then he will be elected for the time being. Röttgen and Braun had made it clear that they were not aiming for the parliamentary group chairmanship.
Merz lets Brinkhaus fidget
Although Merz has not yet officially made a claim to the chief post in the parliamentary group, it is not unlikely that he will do so.
Merz had told the Funke media group: “The fact that the chairmanship of the CDU and the leadership of the Union parliamentary group should be in one hand is a principle that applies.”
In any case, Merz lets Brinkhaus fidget at first. On Friday, after his election, when asked whether he would reach for the group chairmanship, he said: “The subject is not on the agenda at the moment, and that’s why I don’t think about it.”
Other personal details, on the other hand, are already clear: the former Berlin Health Senator Mario Czaja is to become the new CDU General Secretary under Merz. The economic politician Carsten Linnemann should also play an important role in the Merz team.
Merz has been the base’s favorite for years. The fact that he got the short straw twice at party congresses is due to the reservations many CDU officials have about the Sauerlander.
Friedrich Merz becomes the new CDU chairman
Many fear that Merz could align the CDU too conservatively, so that center-voters will be put off and the liberal wing of the party too marginalized. There are also doubts as to whether Merz will reach the voters and not be perceived as a man from yesterday.
However, Merz gave up in the race for the party chairmanship, appeared much more moderate and talked not only about economic issues, but also a lot about social policy. His supporters also believe that precisely because Merz stands for a clear edge, the CDU will on the one hand be better able to distance itself from the traffic lights and at the same time be able to turn away voters from the AfD with a stronger conservative profile.
The economic wing of the Union sees Merz as the right man to give the party “clarity and profile”. The federal chairman of the SME and Economic Union, Gitta Connemann, said: “Especially in the opposition we have to show a clear edge more than before.”
After Armin Laschet’s withdrawal, Merz had declared that he would only run for the party chairmanship a third time if this time the CDU members vote on the new party leader. His calculation: then this time the victory would not be to be taken from him.
The CDU supporters could vote both online and by letter. Those who wanted, say veteran CDU employees, could see the height of the postal ballot stacks of the voters from Röttgen, Braun and Merz in a room in the CDU party headquarters. The stack for Merz was quickly by far the highest.
Candidates knew a quarter of an hour before the result
Until then, nothing was known about the result of the online voting. The candidates themselves only found out a quarter of an hour beforehand what CDU General Secretary Paul Ziemiak announced on Friday at 2 p.m. The other two applicants received significantly fewer votes than Merz: 25.8 percent of the members voted for Norbert Röttgen, and 12.1 percent for the former head of the Chancellery, Helge Braun.
According to the CDU, almost two thirds of the 400,000 members took part in the survey on Thursday. According to information from the CDU, exactly 248,360 members took part – 64.3 percent of all party book owners.
The membership decision shows that the CDU is “a living party,” said Merz. “It was a good relationship between the three of us. The fact that and how we did it set standards, for us and for others. “
After almost 20 years of interruption, Merz has again held a top political position. In September 2002 Merz had resigned the parliamentary group chairmanship in favor of the CDU party leader Angela Merkel. Merkel had announced shortly beforehand that she would run for this office. Opposition work, so their argument, should be bundled in the party and parliamentary group chairmanship.
Merz was then deputy parliamentary group chairman for a while before he retired from politics and switched to business in 2009. Among other things, Merz was chairman of the supervisory board of asset manager Blackrock. After Angela Merkel’s withdrawal from party leadership, Merz returned to politics in 2018 and unsuccessfully applied for party leadership.
This time the Merz managed to win. The CDU federal executive board will take over the vote of the members and the CDU party congress on 21./22. January suggest Merz as the new party leader. But even if the 1001 delegates have elected Merz, he is not yet officially party leader, because the party congress takes place digitally due to Corona. After the party congress, the delegates must therefore confirm their election again in writing. Only then is Merz officially there.
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