Merz goes on the offensive with Lindner-Schelte - and is pushed towards Brinkhaus-Ausbootung

Created: 12/19/2021, 9:39 PM

From: Andreas Schmid

Criticism of the FDP-led finance ministry: Friedrich Merz (left) tackles Christian Lindner.

© Kay Nietfeld / picture alliance / dpa

The designated CDU leader Friedrich Merz is directly on a confrontational course.

Will he soon take on a new role as parliamentary group leader?

Berlin - Friedrich Merz made it on the third attempt.

The 66-year-old has been the de facto party leader of the CDU since Friday (December 17).

Merz emerged as the clear winner of a CDU membership vote on the Laschet successor, and in January he will be confirmed at the official party congress.

In the first days after his great triumph, Merz switched to attack - and attacked the FDP.

Merz with Lindner-Schelte: "one of the most daring actions of the last decades"

“The FDP says goodbye to many of its election promises,” Merz told

. The budget policy is "the complete opposite of what the FDP promised a few weeks ago". Merz, who had distinguished himself in the past as a representative of an economically liberal course, criticized the supplementary budget of the FDP-led Federal Ministry of Finance as "one of the largest and most daring actions we have seen in recent decades". Merz sent these words directly to the new Finance Minister Christian Lindner.

His criticism was aimed primarily at the reallocation of unused loans to fight the corona pandemic, which, according to the plans of the new government, should flow into climate protection and digitization. "Moving 60 billion euros in Corona aid to a budget that has nothing to do with Corona removes the debt brake of the Basic Law and is anything but solid budgetary policy," said the CDU politician. The Union wants to take action against the plans before the constitutional court.

There was opposition from the government factions.

"The supplementary budget ensures that the federal government can continue to crack down on the crisis and its consequences," said SPD parliamentary deputy Achim Post of the AFP news agency.

“Anyone who, like the CDU, criticizes this approach without showing alternatives, apparently does not consider a further powerful response to the crisis and its consequences to be necessary.

It has precious little to do with serious financial and crisis policy if Friedrich Merz and the CDU only say what is supposedly not possible. "

Video: Member survey - Merz is to become CDU chairman

Merz on the role of the opposition: "You no longer have to make compromises"

What do the Merz statements mean for the future course of the CDU? After the poor performance in the federal election, the CDU and CSU slipped into the opposition. There are fewer opportunities to distinguish yourself. If only because the Union lost prestigious positions such as ministries to the SPD, Greens and FDP. "One of the few advantages in the opposition is that you no longer have to compromise with a coalition partner," said Merz about the future direction of his party.

It is not yet clear what exactly it will look like.

In all likelihood, the Union will not take an anti-government course like the AfD.

This is currently evident in the corona policy, in which Union politicians are now calling for stricter measures.

The Union wanted to put the opposition finger in the government wound, Merz let through.

The economic politician may well target the FDP in particular.

The question remains whether he will do this solely on his own responsibility as CDU chief - or whether he will be hoisted into one of the few remaining prestigious CDU offices.

In the parliamentary group chair.

Merz as parliamentary group leader?

"He is the opposition leader across from the traffic light"

The CDU is already discussing whether Merz should not also take on the role of parliamentary group leader in the Bundestag.

The incumbent and thus the leader of the opposition is Ralph Brinkhaus.

After the general election, the parliamentary group confirmed him with 85 percent in office.

Brinkhaus was not elected for one year, as usual, but only until the end of April 2022.

Will Merz then attack?

Ralph Brinkhaus (CDU), chairman of the CDU / CSU parliamentary group.

© Kay Nietfeld / dpa

The fact that the party leader is also the parliamentary group leader would be nothing new. Helmut Kohl, Wolfgang Schäuble, Angela Merkel and, for a few days, Konrad Adenauer held both posts at the same time. Merz himself was parliamentary group chairman from 2000 to 2002 - but not CDU chairman during this time. When his election was announced, Merz initially left it open as to whether he would also seek to chair the parliamentary group. “The topic is not on the agenda at the moment. And that's why I don’t worry about it. ”Some of his party colleagues are obviously concerned.

As the first prominent Union politician, the Thuringian CDU parliamentary group chairman and deputy state chief Mario Voigt spoke out in favor of Merz taking over the post.

It stands to reason that “the parliamentary group and party appear with a powerful and unified voice,” Voigt told

.

"Friedrich Merz is the CDU opposition leader across from the traffic light."