Union after the election: Brinkhaus re-elected as parliamentary group leader

85 percent for the incumbent: The CDU politician Brinkhaus has been confirmed in the office of chairman of the Union parliamentary group. However, he was not elected for one year, as usual, but until the end of April 2022.

Union faction leader Ralph Brinkhaus has been confirmed in office. However, he was initially elected for a seven-month term until April 2022 – and not, as usual, for one year.

At the constituent meeting of the new CDU / CSU parliamentary group in Berlin, the CDU politician received 85 percent of the votes in a secret ballot.

Brinkhaus was the only candidate for the office. After his election he stated that the Union parliamentary group was now ready for the start of the new electoral period and possible talks about forming a government. “We are fully able to work.”

Usually a year

The party chairmen of the CDU and CSU, Armin Laschet and Markus Söder, had suggested that Brinkhaus should initially only be confirmed in office for six months.

Brinkhaus accepted this, and the CDU politicians Norbert Röttgen, Friedrich Merz and Jens Spahn then decided not to run for a fight. The CSU had previously put pressure on to ensure clarity at the head of the parliamentary group. “The parliamentary group must be able to act,” emphasized the head of the regional group, Alexander Dobrindt. “We want order.”

The reason for the time limit is that it is currently unclear whether the Union will join the government or the opposition.

Commitment to explorations with the Greens and FDP

At the meeting, according to Brinkhaus and Dobrindt, the new CDU / CSU parliamentary group also clearly committed to explorations with the Greens and the FDP: “The focus of the discussion was that there is a willingness to take on responsibility,” said Dobrindt. You couldn’t use a hanging game. There is only a very narrow timeframe for the explorations.

“We have to show willingness to talk,” emphasized Brinkhaus. Of course, one has an interest in forming a coalition with. You have a “strange election result”, so you just see what happens in the next few days. But the Union would like to speak and “take responsibility”. Everything else will show. There is no contradiction to CSU boss Markus Söder. He had made it clear before the parliamentary group meeting that he saw the task of forming a government first with the SPD, the Greens and the FDP.

Responsibility also at Laschet and Söder

Both Brinkhaus and Dobrindt emphasized that the responsibility for possible explorations rests with the party chairmen Armin Laschet and Söder and with them as representatives of the parliamentary group.

Laschet himself said after the meeting of the Union parliamentary group: “We will now speak with the FDP, with the Greens in the next few days. Our offer of talks is available. And I think that factual discussions among Democrats are now correct.”

In a confusing situation like this “every democratic party must be ready to take on responsibility. And that is us”. Laschet went on to explain that there was a will to return to unity.

Historically worst Bundestag election result

The Union had achieved its historically worst result in the federal election with 24.1 percent. It was behind the SPD with 25.7 percent of the vote. This is aiming for an alliance with the FDP and the Greens.

Since the election debacle, the CDU and CSU have been struggling to reposition and strategy. Laschet said of the result tonight:

That is an election result that everyone would have wished for differently, including myself. I think it is correct that we are now analyzing this critically. I have always valued the frank word.