New Secretary General: Carsten Linnemann (left) is to follow Mario Czaja (right).
(Photo: IMAGO/Future Image)
Berlin The CDU chairman Friedrich Merz has separated from his general secretary Mario Czaja. “I didn’t take the decision lightly to propose a change in the position of Secretary General of the CDU in Germany,” said Merz. In the party, the decision is considered a liberation.
Czaja should involve the social wing of the party and also stand for East Germany and the big city. That’s what Merz thought when he introduced Czaja as his designated general secretary and Christina Stumpp as deputy general secretary before he was elected party chairman a year and a half ago.
Economic conservative Merz wanted to show that women and social politicians are also important to him – even if he and Czaja were never to become friends. The former Berlin health senator had shown that he “can campaign”, said Merz in November 2021. After all, he had directly won his East Berlin constituency, which had long been held by the Left Party.
However, the 47-year-old did not deliver exactly that campaign ability. On the contrary: the heating campaign against the federal government’s planned law flopped, but above all Czaja did not manage to effectively convert the party headquarters. He also showed a weakness that was fatal for the party leader: he could not attack and call for an attack.
Merz had to push forward again and again, be party and faction leader and general secretary in one. In doing so, he had to put up with criticism from state chairmen and potential chancellor candidates like Hendrik Wüst that he was populist, especially in the dispute with the AfD.
In doing so, he should appear statesmanlike and gain the trust of the people. Especially in times of crisis and transformation, trust is the most important currency. And Merz already has to fight for his chancellor candidacy
>> Read here: Merz relies on a tax reform – “A new approach to tax justice”
Czaja has been seen as a fig leaf for social politicians from the very beginning. They did not feel that they were represented by him in the workforce – a problem because the distrust of the economic liberal Merz was particularly great. And deputy Stumpp never got a role that gave her even remotely a chance of being noticed. It was said that Czaja didn’t even want to give her an office in the Adenauerhaus.
On Tuesday, the news came that the former President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Hans-Georg Maassen, does not have to leave the party. This is how the district party court in Thuringia ruled. The party’s constitutional experts had already warned in February when the federal executive decided to exclude the party. Czaja explained at the time: “He has lost nothing in the CDU.”
Now Czaja resigns. The 46-year-old Carsten Linnemann, a confidant of Merz and head of the basic program commission, takes over. He’s known for being aggressive and open to debate, getting far more attention on talk shows and the big boulevard than Czaja ever did.
“If you want to change something, then now,” said the party. It’s about finally getting the party over the 30 percent mark, which the CDU and CSU have not exceeded for a long time – even though the traffic light coalition has a better reputation than any other government before it.
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