The party evades a dispute over leadership

He senses an “action to prevent Merz”: the presidential candidate of the CDU party, Friedrich Merz.

Michael Kappeler / Reuters

The scandal was followed by a thunderous silence: on Monday evening Friedrich Merz drummed on the media. On all channels it has scourged the decision of the party leadership to postpone the CDU party congress scheduled for December indefinitely. They wanted to “wear him out,” he said in television and news interviews. An “action to prevent Merz” was underway, the “establishment” of the Christian Democrats had conspired against him. The intrigues were spun in the Whatsapp groups. His main contender for the CDU presidency, Armin Laschet, is behind the deal.

Response to Merz’s accusations against the reprimanded establishment: CDU leaders held back Tuesday with comments. Only the general secretary of the CDU Paul Ziemiak explained on Deutschlandfunk what he had said the day before: “The reason for the postponement of the conference of the presence party was the situation of the infection in Germany”. On all the other issues raised he did not say a word. It seemed that the party leaders, with their public exercise of silence, did not want to turn the drama of a party presidential candidate into a drama for the party.

Attack instead of joining the group

Can this strategy work? Many doubt it, even in the CDU. Away from the microphones, many garrison members become clearer. There is talk of a useless debate and the fact that the party is currently not in good shape. Sometimes there is concern as to why Merz is so aggressive with his internal party critics. Because it is also clear: whoever wants to become the head of the CDU, the party should do it.

Merz supporters also had a hard time categorizing his statements on Tuesday: “The so-called CDU establishment does not fundamentally work against Friedrich Merz,” said Marian Wendt, CDU member of the Bundestag, NZZ. The way should now be found for a fair trial of the intra-party election campaign. On the other hand, he could also understand the “feelings of Friedrich Merz”.

A member survey as a way out

Obviously parts of the party disagree with how the decision to postpone the party conference was made. “Preventing implementation options like voting in different places or voting by mail just for the president for political reasons is just as wrong as the way people communicate before and after committee meetings,” said the Junge Union president. , Tilman Kuban, the NZZ. The leaders of the party and parliamentary groups could have long ago made the constitutional amendment for a digital electoral party congress and avoided this conflict. The Junge Union will now work to set a new date for a digital or physical party conference on January 16th.

Until now, the German party law stipulates that council members must be elected at party conferences – every two years. Only through a change in the law that must be enforced during the crown pandemic is it possible to hold a digital party conference and then determine the board of directors by postal vote. This would take a long time, but on the other hand the CDU had enough time to prepare for this situation. Now the party is definitely surprised by the pandemic that has been rampant for months.

In this context, Jana Schimke also considers the cancellation of the party congress wrong. “Friedrich Merz’s reaction is understandable and humane,” the CDU Bundestag member said in this newspaper. There was no apparent reason why the president could not be elected in December. Good and well thought out suggestions are on the table for this. “If this is not the intention, the way out is a poll of the members, following which all candidates undertake to accept the vote. It would be a way out to remain able to act for the 2021 election year and to defuse the justified debate on the date of the party conference “.

A sort of “FC Hollywood” of politics

On paper, the party’s shape curve is currently increasing: in the crisis, the executive’s hour rings, the Chancellor’s party is entering an election year with good polls, and voters are asking about its core competence, stability. . With the party conference decision, however, the CDU presents itself as a kind of “FC Hollywood” in politics. Like FC Bayern Munich, he recently had a knack for fighting, jealousy and internal turmoil at the same time as success.

The mockery was not long in coming. On the Internet under #RealFriedrichMerz since Monday, alluding to its origin, the jokes of «Sauerlandtrump» and a photo showing the candidate in the pose of Youtubers Rezo with blue hair have been circulating. He attacked the party head-on with a questionable video before the 2019 European elections. Now the headline – this time within the party – is again: “Destruction of the CDU!”

This also causes considerable irritation outside the Berlin party circles. Especially where there will soon be state elections. The minister of education and top candidate of the CDU for the next state elections in Baden-Württemberg, Susanne Eisenmann, would have preferred a quick clarification of the question of power: “I would have thought it wise to make the decision on the federal presidency of the CDU quickly and quickly. , for clarity to have. ” A postponement to spring would lead to internal quarrels that would overshadow the March elections in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate.

On the other hand, these quarrels represent a substantial controversy that has been waiting for clarification in the party for years. They are the struggles of the party base against the functional class, the conservatives against the “Merkelians”, the economic wing against the social wing. Stephan Bernhardt, leader of the CDU citizen party in Rüsselsheim, summarizes the situation as follows: “I think there are some fears in the establishment. You don’t want a big swing. A management decision is urgently needed. That is why it was a mistake to cancel the party congress, which also affects Laschet and Röttgen “.