Press review
Merz leads the CDU back to a conservative course and differentiates it from the AfD – “a turning point”
CDU party leader Friedrich Merz speaks at the final press conference of the closed meeting
© DPA
An exciting election year is coming and the CDU wants to move from the opposition to the government bench. To ensure that this succeeds, she starts with a declaration of war on the AfD. That’s what the press thinks about it.
“The fact that Merz is so clearly demarcating his party is long overdue”
“Central German breeding”: “The CDU finally wants to change strategy and challenge the AfD more in terms of content. This is right and overdue. For many years, the Christian Democrats did not want to accept that the AfD had established itself to the right of them – in the hope that the problem would solve itself disappears into thin air. But the CDU must not simply follow AfD sympathizers’ words. Instead, it must make people a credible offer for the challenges of the time. The Union has leverage through its prime ministers that it should use. And they “We have to seek much more contact with the people. While the AfD is in every market square in some East German cities, the Christian Democrats are less approachable. The party leadership has recognized this, now it’s time to implement it.”
“Ludwigsburg district newspaper”: “Party leader Friedrich Merz took the opportunity to clearly distance himself from the anti-constitutional activities and the AfD and announced party regulations to the CDU members involved. The traffic light’s accusation that the Union does not differentiate itself clearly enough from right-wing extremists is henceforth in vain. Merz At the same time, he managed to lead his party back to a conservative course. For the CDU, this is the completion of a turning point. It is unanimously and finally overcoming the era of Angela Merkel, which had eradicated the conservatives in her party and from which she was largely without Debate and contradiction, for example in asylum and migration policy, was led far to the left.”
“Badish newspaper”: “Merz has now announced a very clear, very tough confrontation, especially against the AfD. He also differentiated his party from the Union of Values. Merz making this so clear is long overdue. But is it enough? Merz is likely to do so himself with some rhetorical outbursts contributed to the fact that things are going so well for the political right (…) However, Merz remained silent for a noticeably long time regarding the research into the meeting of right-wing radical circles in Potsdam and the expulsion plans that were discussed there. That also sends the wrong message.”
“North Bavarian Courier”: “The AfD program is full of contradictions, ambiguities and untruths, but many supporters are not concerned with such details. They vote for the party out of a radical conviction or out of a fundamental protest. They cannot be convinced so quickly with substantive arguments . In order to diminish the success of the AfD, the CDU will have to think more about it.”
The CDU must be able to govern without the AfD and the Left
“Handelsblatt”: “If Friedrich Merz were a stock, you should have it in your portfolio since the CDU board meeting at the latest. The CDU leadership has never presented itself as harmoniously as it did at the weekend since the fight for the party chairmanship. (…) Be it with the Migration or the nuclear course: Merz is sharpening the CDU profile again without unbalancing the party. (…) But every share also carries the risk of a crash. The Union is stable at over 30 percent in the surveys. (… ) Nevertheless, the elephant of the K question still remains in the room, which everyone sees but no one addresses openly. (…) Whenever the leadership question is clarified – after the three state elections in the new federal states, Merz will face another challenge. The CDU must maintain its own ability to govern without forming a coalition with the AfD and the Left Party. According to surveys, this appears to be impossible.”
“Leipziger Volkszeitung”: “Even if the AfD’s poll numbers fall again, the potential for a party of right-wing populists remains. The CDU, which wants to remain a people’s party, must give an answer to this. It has a responsibility to answer to voters disappointed by the traffic light coalition “The federal government is obviously not capable of the necessary self-reflection and is currently acting more irrationally than rationally.”