The hot phase of the election campaign has begun.
The Union is ahead in the polls, but Armin Laschet's personal values are poor.
Something has to change, demand parts of the CDU.
Berlin - “huge failure” - these words were thrown by angry citizens affected by the flood disaster in the direction of Armin Laschet. The Union's candidate for chancellor had visited areas particularly affected by the flood to get an idea of the situation and to be present a few weeks before the general election. The CDU chief was not warmly welcomed by all those affected. “You will notice when you vote,” said a man from Swisttal. Laschet remained extremely calm and accepted the criticism. Party colleagues are now criticizing that the Rhinelander is too calm overall. You are calling for a change of course.
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Bundestag election: "It would be good if our candidate for chancellor would also excel with substantive points"
Laschet must finally get on the offensive, complains about the CDU member of the Bundestag Michael von Abercron.
"It would be good if our candidate for chancellor would also excel in terms of content," the Ostholsteiner told
Spiegel
.
His colleague Peter Bleser (Rhineland-Palatinate) demands that Laschet “deal more intensively with the most pressing issues of the future”.
Johannes Selle from Thuringia states: "Armin Laschet has set the tone on the subject of taxes and climate, but that is not enough."
There was therefore a need for a special focus on the core issues of the Union.
In order for this to succeed, Laschet, who is known as a team player and patient moderator, should get additional support from his election campaign team.
Laschet "urgently needs to present a team of people", says Uwe Schummer, head of the workers' group in the Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag, "a Friedrich Merz is not enough for me." Merz is an expert on economic and financial policy in the CDU election campaign team.
The Hamburg CDU chairman Christoph Ploß would like Carsten Linnemann, head of the SME Union, to play “a central role” in the election campaign in order to address liberal-conservative voters.
Bundestag election: unfortunate pictures, bad popularity ratings - Laschet is fighting
According to critics, Laschet lacks content in the crucial phase of the election campaign. To make matters worse, the chancellor candidate sometimes loops around with opaque statements on elementary election campaign issues. A current example after the flood disaster: First Laschet said that “we need more speed with climate protection measures”, then he made it clear: “Because this is a day like this, you don't change politics”. There were only a few hours between the two statements. Another example of Laschet's zigzag course is the question of tax increases. In this context, the opposition accused him of breaking his word.
Laschet's approval ratings had slipped rapidly in the cellar recently.
In the ranking of politicians, the native of Aachen is now behind Green candidate Annalena Baerbock.
Again and again the 60-year-old maneuvers himself out of bounds if, for example, he gives an unfavorable picture of the flood disaster or accusations of plagiarism are raised about his book.
SPD candidate Olaf Scholz is currently proving that a flawless appearance pays off.
The native of Osnabrück is currently able to present a good image in public.
Scholz manages to keep political points of attack such as the cum-ex deals out of the public discourse.
His approval ratings are above average.
Bundestag election: Union currently leads ahead of the Greens and the SPD
In the Konrad-Adenauer-Haus one looks a little concerned at the current survey values due to this unhappy external presentation.
The Union is still quite comfortably on the course of the Chancellery, but the lead over the pursuers of the SPD and the Greens is getting smaller.
The opinion polls last saw the CDU / CSU at around 24 to 27 percent.
The Greens have 18 to 22 percent, the SPD 16 to 18 percent.
Whether the Greens will manage to catch up with Annalena Baerbock, who has repeatedly acted clumsily in this election campaign, is currently just as questionable as attacking the SPD, which is fully focused on Scholz.
However, the Union should not be certain.
A change of course could improve the situation.
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