The German CDU turns to the right. The Merz era arrives
The German Christian Democrats (CDU) voted and ultimately elected Friedrich Merz as the new center-right party leader at a digital party conference. Merz garnered the support of 915 of the 983 delegates via digital voting, winning by an overwhelming majority of over 94%. after all, the CDU is a flock without a shepherd and any leader is welcome.
Speaking ahead of the vote, Merz noted that the party has been through turbulent times over the past three years, but promised a fresh start: "This time it is now behind us," he said, adding that his election as the party's new head it is a "powerful" signal for the renewal of the CDU.
Previously he had already garnered over 60% of the support of CDU members by making the whole ride a descent. Merz's election to the top of the party was certain, but observers had been watching closely to see how many delegates would not support him. The overwhelming support of the delegates puts him on solid ground as he takes over the reins of the party.
Now, Friedrich Merz takes on a party that is confined to the opposition for the next three years, having to sit alongside the far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the plenary chamber of the Bundestag. However, his very conservative positions seem to have softened. Now it is said:
- super European;
- for LGBTQ adoptions;
- opposed to collaborations with the AfD, the German populists;
however, a renewal of the party cadres has already begun, which is already a step forward in a party stuck in Merkel for 10 years, with leaders who imagine themselves untouchable. The CDU's position is not easy in the face of the new traffic light coalition, which risks sending the Christian Democrats into the attic, unable to rely on other right-wing forces. With the Grosse Koalitione dead, for now, the CDU is in a dead end. They say it's anti-euro: we'll see.
Thanks to our Telegram channel you can stay updated on the publication of new articles of Economic Scenarios.
The article The German CDU turns to the right. The Merz era comes from ScenariEconomici.it .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/la-cdu-tedesca-svolta-verso-destra-arriva-lera-merz/ on Sun, 23 Jan 2022 13:00:12 +0000.