The MIT chairman and deputy group chairman were recently said to have ambitions to chair the group.
(Photo: dpa)
The next party chairman of the CDU should largely be determined by the members and not again by the functionaries. Leading Union politicians are pushing for this. “We have to learn the lessons from the past. A leadership without a broad base is doomed to failure, ”said the deputy chairman of the CDU / CSU parliamentary group, Gitta Connemann, the Handelsblatt.
The CDU draws its strength from its members, it owes it the status of a people’s party. “But large parts of the base felt that they were no longer adequately involved in the last directional decisions.”
On this Monday, the federal executive committee of the CDU will discuss how to proceed after the election debacle. CDU boss Armin Laschet announced on Thursday that he would submit a proposal for an orderly procedure. It is becoming apparent that there will also be a member survey, which is formally not legally binding, but which the candidates could then adhere to.
The SME and Economic Union (MIT) passed a corresponding motion on Friday with a large majority. It was said that out of 33 yes votes, there were six no votes and one abstention.
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In addition to Connemann, the board of MIT also includes the two-time candidate for party chairmanship, Friedrich Merz, as well as CDU party vice Jens Spahn as well as the head of the middle class parliamentary group of the Union faction, Christian von Stetten and the Hamburg state chairman Christoph Ploß. The MIT chairman and deputy parliamentary group chairman, Carsten Linnemann, was recently said to have ambitions to chair the parliamentary group. He is also under discussion as a possible party chairman.
MIT sees the CDU at a crossroads
The MIT application can no longer be formally submitted for the meeting of the federal executive committee on Monday – the deadline is one week. However, it is considered unreasonable to ignore the suggestion when the Presidium and Board of Directors discuss the successor to Laschet on Monday.
The motion says that there are “many reasons” for the election defeat and that the CDU is at a “crossroads”. “In view of this finding, one must clearly state that the CDU now needs a clear signal of a new beginning with the participation of the CDU base in order to become a member and program party again,” demands the MIT.
An online survey is possible in which every member votes; all those without an internet connection could vote in one of the CDU district offices within a week. MIT is also in favor of “a previous tour of the candidates standing for election through the CDU district / district associations, following the example of the regional conferences”. This guarantees fair competition.
MIT board member Connemann demanded that the basis “be involved in the personnel realignment”. “This can be done through the local associations. Or through regional conferences. Whatever the case, the new management team must be supported by the grassroots. “
With the survey, the party hopes that the next chairman can claim appropriate support and thus end the power struggles that have been going on since 2018. Since Angela Merkel’s withdrawal from the party chairmanship, various representatives of the party have been vying for the chairmanship and have tried again and again to weaken the incumbent chairman. So it was first party leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who gave up after only one year, as is now likely to Armin Laschet.
More: Comment: Laschet’s failure and Söder’s contribution – there is chaos in the Union.