Maassen complained in a television interview on Thursday that “an example should be made of him”. Emphatically combative, he declared that he would consult with his lawyers. He is confident that a party exclusion procedure “will not end to my disadvantage”.
Maassen had received mail from the Konrad-Adenauer-Haus the day before, after which he should explain himself by 12 noon on Sunday. If he doesn’t resign, he has until February 9 to make a written statement. He seriously harmed the party with his statements. If he does not resign, the federal executive board will initiate the procedure and withdraw his membership rights with immediate effect.
“The exclusion process against Hans-Georg Maassen is logical,” says CDU parliamentary group leader Johann Wadephul. “Anti-Semitism and conspiracy ideologies have no place in the CDU.” Maassen’s statements go against the values and beliefs of many Christian Democrats. “In this respect, the decision of the party presidium is based on my impression of broad support in the party.”
Wadephul is also head of the Schleswig-Holstein CDU deputies in the Bundestag. In the north, with Prime Minister Daniel Günther at the helm, they are proud of having almost won the absolute majority in the last state election with a liberal course – and above all that the AfD missed out on re-entering the state parliament. It’s a nationwide first.
“Our members want to shape the future and take on responsibility,” Wadephul explained the success. It has been shown that “a policy of the center close to the people” is successful. “The course of the federal party is absolutely correct: delimitation instead of pandering.”
Clear edge against the AfD and right-wing language
The Maassen case also marks a turning point in the CDU. Just a year ago, Friedrich Merz, in his application speech for the party chairmanship, dared to “halve” the election results of the AfD, i.e. to bring their voters to the CDU.
But this failed miserably: The AfD is gaining ground in the polls, while the Union does not manage to jump over the 30 percent mark and even lost state elections. Driving the government along did not help, nor did right-wing populist statements such as “social tourism” among refugees or “little pashas” among children of migrants have a positive impact.
“Not all of the currently twelve to 15 percent who would vote for the AfD come from the Union, and not all would turn to the Union if the AfD were to disappear overnight,” Mainz political scientist Kai Arzheimer told the Handelsblatt . “A credible differentiation from the AfD is therefore particularly important for the future election results of the CDU.”
Maassen has been criticized for controversial statements and has been asked to leave the party.
(Photo: dpa)
The exclusion procedure against Maassen is “only one aspect”. It is more important “not to work with the party at the regional and municipal level and not to copy their positions and concepts”.
>> Read here: Clear edge to the right, support for the left: How does Merz feel about the political fringes?
The party now sees it that way, also in Thuringia, where Maassen ran as a direct candidate for the Bundestag in 2021 and clearly lost his positions. “We are distancing ourselves from Maassen and clearly distancing ourselves from the AfD,” says Christian Hirte, member of the Bundestag and head of the Thuringian regional group, the Handelsblatt. The state board also voted unanimously to exclude Maassen, emphasizes the deputy state head.
The presidium of the federal party has also decided that simultaneous membership in the “Union of Values” is incompatible. Maassen has recently headed this grouping outside of the CDU. According to Maassen, 80 to 85 percent of the approximately 4,000 members are also in the party. “The CDU is harming itself by doing this,” says Maassen.
The New “Pragmatic Conservatism”
However, the new course of the CDU fits in with what the young prime ministers like Daniel Günther, Boris Rhein from Hesse or Hendrik Wüst from North Rhine-Westphalia are saying. “Politics should bring people together and not divide them, be able to act and not quarrel,” said Rhein at the beginning of the year. This is “a pragmatic style of politics, a compassionate conservatism”.
>> Read here: Survey: Union at its highest level for a year and a half – Maassen causes unrest
Others call it “pragmatic conservatism”: the sovereigns have to accommodate refugees locally and see that they would be better integrated with work. They address all of this in the Presidium and also know Merz is on their line, verbal missteps or not.
The question of migration is one of several that the party wants to answer again this year. 2023 should be the year of the content realignment. “Women, young people and migrants,” Merz wants to win for the party and jump back over the 30 percent mark – without squinting at the voters of the AfD.
“The CDU does not have it in their hands to substantially influence the AfD’s share of the vote,” agrees Professor Arzheimer. “People vote for the AfD primarily because they are extremely negative about the issue of immigration.” Accordingly, it doesn’t help if the CDU takes over AfD positions. At best, this would bring more attention to the topic.
At the same time, the CDU threatens to lose votes in the middle. “The AfD’s share of the vote will fall if the immigration issue continues to lose importance,” says Arzheimer.
Central content of the CDU is to provide the debate on the current policy program. The head of the program commission, Carsten Linnemann, wants to provide answers to the pressing questions of the next ten years: inflation, the future of industry with rising energy costs and the need for climate protection, the new geopolitics and social cohesion in times of upheaval. It’s about “a new era, a new CDU,” he says.
The party will question members in March and April, there will be a large convention in the summer and four regional conferences with party leader Merz this year. The party wants to finalize its program in 2024 – just in time for the European elections and the state elections in the AfD strongholds of Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg.
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