Day two of the CDU federal party conference: The delegates want to launch a new basic program. This is largely undisputed. But debates on the details are certainly to be expected.
After the new election of the party leadership at the start of its three-day federal party conference, the CDU wants to give itself a new basic program. The 1,001 delegates have a draft of almost 70 pages entitled “Living in Freedom – Leading Germany Safely into the Future” available for discussion. It is the first basic program in 17 years. With its adoption, the CDU wants to complete its substantive renewal after the heavy defeat in the 2021 federal election.
Party leader Friedrich Merz said that thanks to the new program, the CDU was “ready to take over government responsibility for Germany again immediately and by autumn of next year at the latest.” A maximum of four years of traffic lights are enough. “Every day earlier that this drama comes to an end is a good day for Germany.”
Merz re-elected as CDU chairman
Merz was confirmed in office for another two years by the delegates in the new party leadership election with a result of almost 90 percent. Congratulations also came from CSU boss Markus Söder. “We stand firmly together and want to move Germany forward together. Here’s to continued good cooperation,” wrote the Bavarian Prime Minister on the X platform (formerly Twitter).
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Labor and Social Affairs Minister Karl-Josef Laumann, who was elected deputy party leader, also sees Merz’s re-election as a signal regarding the Union’s candidacy for chancellor. “Well, unless God knows what happens, I think it’s just going to happen to him,” the CDU politician told the “Rheinische Post”.
Union Chancellor candidacy: Söder sees Merz as the favorite
Markus Söder also sees Merz as the favorite when it comes to the Union’s internal candidate for chancellor question. “Of course a CDU chairman is always the favorite,” the CSU leader told Bayerischer Rundfunk. Söder himself is expected to give a speech at the party conference in Berlin this afternoon.
“We will definitely find a good solution together. Everyone can rely on that,” emphasized Söder. He referred to the schedule agreed upon by the sister parties last year: “We now have the individual stages – the European elections, the state elections in the fall […] and then there is a joint decision.”
Söder praised the CDU’s programmatic realignment: “There’s a lot of CSU in it. That’s good for us. It’s good for joint cooperation.” In his words, the sister parties are closer than ever before: “This is a new way of being together.” Merz has already made similar statements repeatedly.
In his speech, Söder wants to mobilize for the European elections in June: “We have to campaign for this largest democratic election in the world – apart from India, which is of course even bigger in terms of the people – so that this Europe is not ultimately left to the radicals. “
The CDU as a “centre people’s party”
In its new basic program, the CDU presents itself as a “centre people’s party” with the “Christian image of humanity” as its compass. She advocates a “cosmopolitan patriotism” and is committed to a German “leading culture”. This included basic and human rights, respect and tolerance, knowledge of the language and history, and recognition of Israel’s right to exist. Only those who commit to the dominant culture can become German.
The CDU advocates that recipients of social benefits who can work must also work. The statutory pension should be supplemented by a mandatory funded pension provision. Overtime should be tax-free for full-time employees, and the CDU also wants to make pensioners who continue to work better off. She is in favor of a compulsory social year, for the option of nuclear energy, for asylum procedures in safe third countries and against gender compulsory.
A new basic program – for swing voters
According to the program, Germany should be able to defend itself and the Bundeswehr should be able to fight. The CDU advocates healthy state finances with compliance with the debt brake and for openness to technology in combating climate change.
The passage on Islam in Germany was controversial in advance. Now the draft program says: “Muslims who share our values are part of the religious diversity of Germany and our society.” And: “An Islam that does not share our values and rejects our free society does not belong to Germany.”
According to its chairman Friedrich Merz, the CDU primarily wants to convince swing voters with its new basic program. “We have to reach beyond our own members, also beyond our regular voters, and the number of them is increasing, who decide again in every election who they should vote for,” said Merz. “This basic program is aimed at them in a very special way.”
In addition, the program also has the function of “a party’s internal self-assurance,” said Merz. “We have to know about ourselves, who we are, where we are, what we want. We have succeeded in doing that.” The program should also be a “powerful symbol and signal to the outside world”. “It gives orientation, it gives support, it also gives people confidence in uncertain times.” This is the most important task of the Union.