At the Junge Union's Germany Day in Münster it becomes clear: Nobody dreams of Jamaica anymore.
The Union is preparing for the opposition.
CDU leader Armin Laschet takes the electoral defeat fully on his hat.
Relentless criticism and belligerent tones can be heard.
Münster - Three weeks after the historic election defeat of the Union, top politicians from the CDU and CSU have sworn their party to a fresh start in the opposition. Union Chancellor candidate and CDU leader Armin Laschet assumed sole responsibility for the poor performance of the Union in the federal election. "We achieved a bitter result," he said on Saturday at the Junge Union (JU) Germany Day in Münster. “Nothing can be talked about nicely. I am responsible as chairman and candidate for chancellor. ”And:“ I am responsible for the election campaign and the campaign, and nobody else. ”The JU as a young organization made steam for the mother parties.
Laschet clearly showed that he sees the Union in an opposition role in the federal government. In the opposition, it is particularly important to "appear together and unanimously" and "wisely and intelligently put your finger in the wound" if a future government makes mistakes. CSU General Secretary Markus Blume called on the Union to work in the opposition. “We now have to acknowledge the reality: we are opposition. But we are a strong opposition. ”The leaders of the SPD, Greens and FDP had pleaded for coalition negotiations, the lights are on. A small party congress of the Greens voted for coalition talks on Sunday. The last thing to do is the vote of the FDP leadership on Monday.
At Germany Day, the focus was on renewal after the crash to 24.1 percent. Several recent surveys see the Union currently even below 20 percent. The CDU wants to re-elect its party executive at a special party conference. Laschet also warned with a view to several upcoming state elections that it must go against the political opponent again and "not against each other in the Union family". He wants to put his own political ambitions aside. The delegates paid their respects to Laschet for his self-critical analysis. JU boss Tilman Kuban spoke of "brutal honesty", of "true greatness". The Germany Day now sets a "core impulse for a new beginning".
CSU boss Markus Söder had canceled at short notice, which many delegates criticized. Söder had poked against Laschet again and again. In “Welt am Sonntag” he promoted a new way of living together for the two sisters. "In terms of style and content, we should move closer together again instead of talking publicly about each other." The CSU will, if so desired, help to stabilize the Union. CSU Vice Manfred Weber told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”: “It is a great value that we have a strong Prime Minister. But when I say that he is number one, it also means that Markus Söder bears most of the responsibility. ”That applies not only to decisions, but also to election results. The CSU had achieved the worst result in a good 70 years in Bavaria with 31.7 percent.
Health Minister Jens Spahn criticized distrust and conflict. He admitted: "It was a shitty election result and so is the situation." The Union will be a constructive opposition. At the same time, he was combative: "The CDU is not finished." Spahn called for team spirit instead of "running show". “It's not about Armin, Friedrich, Jens, Ralph or whoever,” he called to great applause in the hall. “The Union is bigger than any of us.” Spahn, the economic expert Friedrich Merz, Union parliamentary group leader Ralph Brinkhaus or the foreign politician Norbert Röttgen are named as candidates for the successor to Laschet.
Brinkhaus thanked Angela Merkel (CDU) for 16 years as chancellor. "Germany has been governed better than most other countries in the world over the past 16 years." The party needs confidence again after the "devastating" election result. "We lost an election, but we shouldn't lose our pride." His goal was: "To knock them out of the Federal Chancellery again."
At the beginning of the conference on Friday, Merz asked his party not to focus on personnel issues, but on the content. “We should only deal with the question of how do we get out of there?” Despite all the self-criticism, Laschet rejected Merz's presentation that the Union was “a serious restructuring case at risk of insolvency”. NRW Labor Minister Karl-Josef Laumann accused his party of having lost sight of the needs of the voters. "Where is the reality of life for people who have a completely normal job?" Asked the CDU politician.
Laschet's designated successor for his offices as prime minister of North Rhine-Westphalia and state party leader, Hendrik Wüst, appealed: “We lost the federal election, yes.
And as things stand, we have also lost government participation, yes.
But we mustn't also lose our attitude, our behavior and our self-respect. ”In order to win the state elections in North Rhine-Westphalia in May 2022, the party must regain the political center, said Transport Minister Wüst.
Laschet had recently proposed him as his successor in North Rhine-Westphalia.
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Will Hendrik Wüst Laschet's successor in North Rhine-Westphalia?
North Rhine-Westphalia is looking for a new Prime Minister - or a new Prime Minister.
Hendrik Wüst is a promising candidate.
The decision will be made in the next few weeks.
Will Hendrik Wüst Laschet's successor in North Rhine-Westphalia?
SPD: Ready for three-way talks
The SPD and the Union have joined in the exploratory talks.
For the time being, keep a low profile over the exit.
At the same time, the debates in the Union are becoming more heated.
SPD: Ready for three-way talks
Discussion about the establishment of the Union and Laschet is increasing
After the gossip in the federal elections, the Union still has many unanswered questions: Will the party continue to be ready for discussions about a possible Jamaica alliance and what will become of Laschet?
Discussion about the establishment of the Union and Laschet is increasing
CDU General Secretary Paul Ziemiak assumed joint responsibility for the election debacle. The CDU lost in all areas. One cause is a lack of profile. A people's party needs clear answers - for example on questions such as the minimum wage or migration. "Labbing around doesn't help." The delegates also went hard in a ruthless debate with the general secretaries.
Economic politician Carsten Linnemann said that after the Union's relegation from the first to the second division it was now a matter of “humility, attitude, but also the future.” He spoke out “in this very special situation” in favor of a membership decision for the party chairmanship. “We have to become a member party again.” Laschet, on the other hand, was skeptical. The chairman of the group of women in the Union parliamentary group, Yvonne Magwas, advocated a CDU dual leadership with equal representation.
The JU proposal to create a "resilient bridge" between the CDU and the CSU as a new body that should also prepare the future Chancellor candidate was very popular.
The federal board settled in an application with the parent parties.
“Unfortunately, Armin Laschet could not reach people's hearts.
Quite the opposite: many voters did not vote for the Union because of the availability of staff, ”it said there.
“Such a candidacy is not a one-man show.” Only a few in the federal cabinet were helpful in the election campaign.
Even the leaders of the CDU and CSU “did not look good”.
And: "We lost out of our own weakness, not because of the strength of others." Dpa
