Nothing learned from election embarrassment: dispute over Union parliamentary group chairmanship is looming

Created: 01/11/2022, 9:24 PM

From: Marc Dimitriu

Friedrich Merz probably wants the parliamentary group chairmanship of the Union.

© Sepp Spiegl via www.imago-images.de

Friedrich Merz wants it, Ralph Brinkhaus has it: the Union parliamentary group chairmanship.

Now there are signs of a dispute over the post and that before the important election spring.

Berlin - After 16 years in government, the Union ended up in the opposition thanks to a real election disgrace.

In addition to the content, which was less and less popular with the population in the 1920s, the old-fashioned political style and the constant squabbles between CSU boss Markus Söder and the then CDU chairman Armin Laschet were further weighty reasons for the debacle.

For too long there was a dispute about the candidate for chancellor and even after the decision had been made, it went on cheerfully.

There are signs of a new dispute over the Union parliamentary group chairmanship - Brinkhaus does not want to give up posts voluntarily

But the Union does not seem to be learning from its mistakes, also with a view to the important state elections in the spring. Another point is a dispute over an important post. The incumbent Union parliamentary group leader Ralph Brinkhaus (CDU) does not intend to give up his position in favor of the future CDU chairman Friedrich Merz. "If the parliamentary group wishes that and if the parliamentary group elects me, then I will be happy to continue after April 30th," he said on Tuesday in Berlin when asked whether he was determined to continue to exercise his office.

After the disaster in the Bundestag election, Brinkhaus was only confirmed in office until the end of April, unlike usual.

When asked whether he had already had a conversation with Merz on the subject, Brinkhaus did not respond.

Rather, he said that at the moment it was not an issue at all, there were other things to be done: The Union had to stand up in the opposition, there was a groundbreaking party congress on the 21st and 22nd.

January before and you have to prepare for state elections.

“That's why personnel discussions are now at the very back.” But despite his statements, the debate about the post is getting louder and louder.

CDU politicians propagate unity: "We as a Union made our experiences last year"

The parliamentary executive director of the Union parliamentary group, Thorsten Frei (CDU), said that in view of the decision on the future parliamentary group chairmanship, the Union must have several dates on the screen. Brinkhaus was elected until April 30th. In March and May the Union had to pass important state elections - in Saarland (March 27) and Schleswig-Holstein (May 8) as well as in North Rhine-Westphalia (May 15), where the CDU leads the respective governments. "The most important thing is that there is an amicable solution between Friedrich Merz and Ralph Brinkhaus," said Frei. “As a union, we made our experiences last year. That won't happen to us again, ”said Frei.

Both Merz and Brinkhaus “know the challenges we face.

Both talk about how we can find the optimal line-up for this, ”said Frei.

Both are "strong personalities and professionals".

In the end, the CDU needs both: Merz and Brinkhaus.

Merz is already fully involved as the designated CDU boss and is invited to all committee meetings of the parliamentary group leadership.

Bad prospects for state elections: CDU and CSU on the way to political insignificance

But despite all the cohesion slogans from the Union, the mood in the population is very different. In the latest polls, the Union is still behind the SPD. The surveys for the federal states in which votes will take place in spring 2022 also indicate little that is hopeful. In NRW, both parties are still the same (27 percent), but the votes would no longer be enough for the current black-and-yellow government. In addition, after the formation of a traffic light coalition in the federal government, it will be difficult, if not almost impossible, for the CDU to persuade the FDP and the Greens to form an alliance. In Saarland (5 percent less) and Schleswig-Holstein (7 percent less), the CDU is even significantly behind the SPD.

Red-green, a traffic light or red-red-green are also in these federal states at the moment much more likely coalitions than an alliance with CDU participation.

If the conservatives were to be thrown out of the state governments here too, the Union parties would only be involved in seven out of 16 state governments and the leading party in only four.

Without the resistance in the Federal Council, which the Union would then hardly be able to provide, the traffic lights could then rule through relaxed.

The looming dispute over the parliamentary group chairmanship could therefore be a further milestone on the way to the political insignificance of the Union.

(md with dpa)