New CDU boss: a leap of faith for Merz

The vote for Merz is a leap of faith. Now he has to prove that he can unite the party and lead it in the opposition. It is possible that he will disappoint his supporters more than his opponents.

Union – that means unity. And unity, the CDU proved today. Even those who see him skeptically have gathered behind Friedrich Merz today. An approval that he had previously campaigned for.

Merz had recognized that the CDU was weak in the election campaign, especially on social issues. He compensated for this by getting Mario Czaja, a proven social politician, on board and by increasingly emphasizing the importance of social issues for the CDU in interviews, speeches and internal party discussions.

Anyone who expected a strict conservative restructuring of the party from Merz could take notice. It is quite possible that he will disappoint his most loyal supporters far more than his inner-party opponents.

Break with the Merkel era

The restructuring of the party leadership, which Merz prepared largely silently, also points to a stable location in the middle. All currents are represented. But a break with the Merkel era is particularly noticeable in the narrower party leadership, in the Presidium. The chancellor’s confidant is no longer among the elected representatives. But there are more women, more younger people and more East Germans.

Merz now has to prove that he can unite the party and lead the opposition. The delegates gave him a huge leap of faith today. They want peace at the top after four chairmen in just 38 months.

Controversy over the group presidency?

But first there could be a dispute over the chairmanship of the parliamentary group. If Merz really wants to be the leader of the opposition, he should hardly leave the stage in the Bundestag to Ralph Brinkhaus – even with the best of understanding and the best division of labor. With almost 95 percent of the delegates’ votes, he can now substantiate his claim to this post better than before.

However, an open dispute would put a strain on the party before the important state elections in the spring. A defeat in Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein or North Rhine-Westphalia would then also be blamed on the new party leader.

In terms of content, Merz remains vague at the party conference: specifically, he only addresses social issues such as child poverty or pension reform. He now has to work quickly to ensure that the CDU can offer concrete positions on important issues. Because only with criticism of the government – no matter how rhetorically pointed Friedrich Merz will succeed – he cannot make the party a credible alternative for the voters again.