breaking news
After about a year and a half in office, CDU leader Merz is replacing his general secretary: Mario Czaja is succeeded by Carsten Linnemann. The decision was made “by consensus”.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz is replacing his general secretary Mario Czaja after a year and a half. Both had “agreed today to end their cooperation at the top of the party,” said the CDU. Carsten Linnemann, member of the Bundestag and head of the policy committee of the CDU, is to be his successor.
Merz will propose this Wednesday to the CDU executive and federal board of directors to appoint Linnemann as acting general secretary.
Merz announced on Twitter that the decision to change was not easy for him. He has known Czaja for a long time and appreciates him very much. This decision will not change anything about that.
Linnemann is considered economics expert
Czaja was elected Secretary General in January 2022 with a good 94 percent of the vote. Within the party, however, there had been dissatisfaction with Czaja for a long time. He was considered by some to be the wrong choice and he was accused, among other things, of not being sufficiently present in public. He was also not heard in party organizations in the federal states.
The 45-year-old Linnemann is considered an economic expert in the party – Merz should expect support on this topic. The party leader wants to make economic policy more of a topic for the CDU in the future.
Linnemann has been deputy CDU chairman since 2022. He has been a member of the Bundestag since 2009 and was a member of the federal executive committee of the CDU from 2013 to 2021. Under Merz, he is responsible for working on his party’s new basic program.