The CDU has had to plug a gaping financial hole since losing the 2021 federal election. Party leader Friedrich Merz has apparently made the red pencil - and prescribed a comprehensive austerity course.
This is causing unrest in the state associations. Because there are difficult election campaigns in some places, especially Thuringia could be hit hard. State elections are due there in 2024, and the AfD is experiencing a boom in polls there. Some voices within the CDU have strong doubts about the current polls.