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Leadership Discussion in the CDU: Prominent MPs denounce "self-defeating" personnel debate

2019-10-30T17:22:50.024Z


"Extremely damaging for the CDU": With fierce words criticize 15 members of the Bundestag, including former Minister of the Environment Röttgen, the internal staff debate - meant probably Friedrich Merz and Roland Koch.



Friedrich Merz and Roland Koch have fomented a new personnel debate in the CDU, but now there are increasing warning voices. In a joint appeal to SPIEGEL, leading members of parliament formulate harsh criticisms of Merz and Koch, without, however, naming them. The former Union faction leader and the longtime Hessian Prime Minister had attacked Chancellor Angela Merkel in recent days violently and indirectly criticized the CDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.

In the statement of 15 deputies, who have signed, among others, the former Federal Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen and the parliamentary groups Katja Leikert and Johann Wadephul, it says: "Without any doubt, the CDU has to tackle its course of substantive renewal more determined and fundamental." In the discussion of the past few days, however, "there has been no single substantial contribution to the renewal of the CDU," they write. "The behavior of individuals was extremely damaging to the CDU and self-defeating." It goes on to say: "The attacks made were politically mindless as well as excessive in style and content."

The parliamentarians write: "As members of the Bundestag of the CDU, who responsibly carry out their mandate through concrete work, we all call on the party to stop this behavior immediately." The appeal also states that "Substantial proposals that give a Christian Democratic response to the modern challenges are universally welcome."

Merz had rated the Thuringian election result as a "great vote of no confidence" against the grand coalition in Berlin, her image was "bad grottensch". Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), who misses "political leadership and clear statements", was the main focus of the criticism, he said on ZDF television on Monday. Several politicians from the ranks of the union and FDP joined this criticism. Ex-CDU-Vice cook expects in a guest contribution for the "Cicero" with the current policy of the Federal Government and his party. Merz was short of Kramp-Karrenbauer at the national convention last December in the run for the CDU presidency.

JU boss Kuban asked the leadership question in the CDU federal executive

At the meeting of the CDU federal executive on Monday, the head of the Junge Union, Tilman Kuban, asked the leadership question. Then the party leader Kramp-Karrenbauer had referred to her mandate as CDU chief and called on potential challengers to openly oppose them. The appeal of the members of the Bundestag to discontinue the personnel disputes comes from the ranks of supporters of the chairmen.

Background of the debate is also the question of the future Chancellor candidate. The Junge Union has submitted an application for a primary vote for the CDU federal party congress in Leipzig at the end of November. Kramp-Karrenbauer and large parts of the party leadership are against this proposal.

Also the deputy chairman of the CDU / CSU parliamentary group, Andreas Jung, criticized opposite the SPIEGEL the current management discussion. He is also considered a supporter of Kramp-Karrenbauer. "A personnel debate due to the election in Thuringia diametrically contradicts the expectation of citizens to us," said the CDU politician. "In the polls there criticized an overly large majority, in the CDU go it just as much as the SPD to the staff."

Union faction leader Jung: Focus on work in the Grand Coalition

Jung, a member of the Baden-Wuerttemberg CDU, also defended the work of the Grand Coalition and thus also Chancellor Angela Merkel. "As a lesson, therefore, we should focus on the second half with solid work and good mediation rather than giving the impression that it's more about the next election and people than about content and positions," he said.

Nadine Schön, also Union faction vice, criticized the personnel debate equally. The CDU politician from the Saarland is a confidant of Kramp-Karrenbauer, who was there for a long time Prime Minister. Personnel and management issues were clarified last year, says Schön. "The parliamentary and European elections have shown that there is dissatisfaction and serious concerns in the German population and, unfortunately, a split in the country," she said. To bring this together, to solve the problems of the people and to develop above all a positive vision for the future of our country, is the task of the party. "Staff debates only distract and waste time and energy and are therefore unnecessary."

Most recently, CDU board member Elmar Brok had further fueled the staff discussion when he suggested that the next chancellor candidate of the Union might be set up by the CSU.


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Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2019-10-30

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