Christian von Stetten: CDU politician calls for the resignation of the entire party presidium

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CDU member Christian von Stetten (archive picture)

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Hein Hartmann / Future Image / imago images

Two weeks after the federal elections, the Union is struggling to take responsibility for its historic defeat and the right path to a new beginning.

The MP Christian von Stetten, who had supported Söder's candidacy for chancellor, heavily criticized the leadership of his party.

"The CDU presidium can enforce a candidate for chancellor against all polls, against the sister party, against the parliamentary group and against the party base," he told the "Bild am Sonntag".

“But then the candidate must be able to win the elections and form a government.

Otherwise, not only the candidate for chancellor, but the entire party presidium will have a problem of acceptance and will have to make his offices available. «Von Stetten is chairman of the parliamentary group for SMEs.

The Union had crashed to 24.1 percent in the federal election, while the SPD became the strongest force.

Altmaier starts with himself, Merz criticizes CSU

The two CDU Federal Ministers Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Peter Altmaier drew their own conclusions from the election result by giving up their Bundestag mandates in favor of two younger politicians.

"After such a defeat there must be consequences and renewal for the CDU," said Federal Minister of Economics Altmaier.

“I knew that on the night of the election.

And that everyone has to start with themselves. "

For the step there was recognition from the own and other parties.

CDU General Secretary Paul Ziemiak wrote on Twitter that the two of them were "a role model for the young generation" with their work and their attitude.

The Green parliamentary group leader Katrin Göring-Eckardt expressed respect on Twitter for how Kramp-Karrenbauer took back himself.

"That also sets the tone across party lines."

CDU politician Friedrich Merz, on the other hand, expressed sharp criticism of the behavior of the sister party CSU during the election campaign.

"The year 2021 marks a low point in our cooperation and our dealings with one another," he wrote in a newsletter sent on Saturday.

“We don't all have to be completely convinced of every decision at all times.

But just like in the weeks leading up to the election, in a Union that still calls itself "bourgeois" people simply don't get along with each other.

That was stylistically, disrespectful and in parts rowdy. "

FDP reaffirms fiscal position

While the CDU is looking for those responsible for the election debacle, others are working on the content of a possible new government.

Before the next exploratory round, FDP general secretary Volker Wissing underscored central financial positions of his party with the SPD and the Greens.

"Everyone we talked to knows our demands: no tax increases and no loosening of the debt brake," Wissing said of "Bild am Sonntag".

“We're holding on to that.

Debts don't create a future. "

The topic harbors potential for conflict for the exploration of a possible traffic light coalition.

The SPD and the Greens want to burden high incomes and wealth more.

The Greens are also in favor of loosening the debt brake in order to enable massive investments in climate protection and infrastructure.

The FDP rejects that.

Green leader Robert Habeck had recently made it clear on Deutschlandfunk that he expected the biggest conflicts in the exploratory talks with taxes, debts and the financing of climate protection measures.

The negotiators of the SPD, Greens and FDP want to set the course for a possible first traffic light coalition at federal level in the coming week.

The first results are expected for Friday.

The Greens and FDP have explicitly kept the possibility of a Jamaica coalition with the Union open, even if they are now exploring priority with the SPD.

"The signs are on the traffic lights," said the state chairman of the Saarland CDU, Prime Minister Tobias Hans.

With a view to a possible Jamaican alliance, the CDU politician declared that it would be "insane to cling to a straw."

irb / dpa