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New CDU boss Merz: Huge leap of faith
Photo: HANNIBAL HANSCHKE / REUTERS
At a quarter past twelve he suddenly sits there: in the party leader's seat.
Friedrich Merz, 66, failed twice as a candidate for the CDU presidency, for many years the hope of the anti-establishment movement in the party, and for much longer the antipode of Angela Merkel, has now really made it: he is the tenth chairman of the CDU , stands in a row with Konrad Adenauer and Helmut Kohl.
Merz himself can't really believe how he did it.
Even the clear vote of the party base, of which a good 62 percent voted for him at the end of last year, was a surprise.
But now just 94.62 percent of the party congress delegates voted for him.
Even the powerful CSU chairman Markus Söder will later enviously comment on the result of his new CDU colleague.
And what does Merz do when he stands at the lectern in the Konrad-Adenauer-Haus to accept the election?
The new party leader fights back tears.
He of all people, the man of strong, loud words.
Then Merz says: "I'm deeply moved."
Even if the result of the digital vote still has to be confirmed in writing, like all elections at the online party congress, and Merz is not formally in office until then: The CDU surrendered to its new chairman that day.
Almost 95 percent of the delegates' votes mean that the party - apart from a very small minority - is now backing this man.
And that is all the more remarkable because there are still many fans of ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel in the CDU at all levels.
Julia Klöckner, who was federal minister under Merkel and will continue to be part of the party leadership as treasurer under Merz, speaks of a “fascinating result”.
Merkel, on the other hand, is so far away from the CDU at the moment that she doesn't even want to become honorary chairwoman, she doesn't take part in the party congress, and she's hardly mentioned.
Instead, a kind of collective cry for help is now sounding from all corners of the party: Friedrich, save us!
There is a lot of pressure on Merz
And Merz may be thinking at this moment at the lectern.
Not just his heavy defeats and struggles.
But also the pressure that now weighs on him, his party's expectations of their new chairman.
Armin Laschet, who was just sitting in the chair of the CDU headquarters, was quickly given an iPad with a photo review and some apps personally selected for him, Merz himself handed it over and very nice words to say goodbye found.
But now it's his turn.
And there is a lot to do.
After 16 years of government, the CDU has lost any profile and also the chancellorship under the chairman and chancellor candidate Laschet.
Merz himself recently called the state of his party "sobering".
The chairman now wants to look ahead
But hardly anyone wants to look back, at least on this day – least of all the new chairman.
The past, it seems, is going with Laschet and Secretary General Paul Ziemiak, who is also leaving.
Although Merz has freshly printed analyzes by external experts and a corresponding paper by active and former CDU politicians on the state and mistakes of the party on his desk, he is now looking ahead.
And, unlike in his interviews before the party congress, he is already in the process of convincing the Christian Democrats again.
'This party is alive.
she is active
And she now expects leadership from us, strong leadership and a clear course,” says Merz in his application speech.
The only question is how exactly he intends to do it.
In any case, Merz's speech that day is erratic and at the same time so arbitrary in terms of content
that
predecessor Laschet, his predecessor Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and even Merkel could have held it: Merz speaks of climate protection and industrial jobs, emphasizes the topic of social justice, warns of the Radicalization of a part of society and promises to take care of social security systems.
The attacks against Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the traffic light coalition are clear.
Otherwise, the new CDU leader presents himself just as he did as a candidate for party chairmanship: as someone who wants to bring the currents of the party together.
The CDU bosses seven to nine also started with exactly the promise.
Can this course succeed?
And what about the old Merz fan club, who will hardly recognize their favorite in the new office?
The challenges for him are clear, and sometimes time is of the essence: What about the parliamentary group leader's post that his party colleague Ralph Brinkhaus has so far occupied (and probably wants to continue to occupy)?
In the opposition, the party chair and parliamentary group chair should actually be in one hand.
And then, on March 27th, the first state election of the year will take place in Saarland, in which CDU Prime Minister Tobias Hans will run – and with a tailwind from Berlin he may even be able to defend his post.
Merz should start his wind machine as soon as possible.
Söder is peaceful
After all, there is no headwind from Bavaria for the time being: CSU boss Söder, who contributed to the Union doing so miserably in the federal elections and now finds himself in the opposition in the federal government, refrains from any teasing at his party congress greeting and announces with a view to the relationship between the sister parties to »open a new chapter and work well together«.
However, it is also true that Söder was initially similarly euphoric towards Kramp-Karrenbauer and Laschet.
Merz knows that, but he too is initially optimistic and forgiving.
"Dear Markus, your hand is stretched out, I'll take it," says Merz in a short reply.
And then of course there are all the personal details that Merz can look forward to at the end of the party conference. The change he announced is really visible: Four out of five of his deputies were newly elected to office, and as he wished, a newcomer from the Junge Union, 32-year-old MP Ronja Kemmer, made it into the presidency. All other applications from the JU for the rest of the federal executive board were also successful. "Five years younger" is now on average, says Merz - and that despite his 66.
Everything else should then be clarified at the next federal party conference, one in attendance, as Merz hopes it could take place in Bremen at the end of September.
All content-related questions should then be clarified that could not be called up digitally this time for reasons of the statutes.
“That is our firm will.
We want to hold a face-to-face party conference again, «says Merz at the end.
However, it could also be the first balance sheet party conference for the new hope.
