Many have financial fears because of high inflation and high energy prices, but get no answer. The world is worried about peace in Europe, said Merz, with a view to the current tensions with Russia. “You have not been to Washington or Moscow so far,” he criticized Scholz. In this situation, previous chancellors had shown leadership and taken initiatives.
Merz also criticized the government course in the planned conversion to more climate protection, in which industrial jobs would have to be preserved. However, the traffic light coalition showed “belief in the state” and a “spending spree”. Answers to major questions such as securing pensions for today’s younger generation are also needed.
Merz pointed to an increasing radicalization of a part of German society. “We are particularly concerned about the massive radicalization on the far right.” The CDU stands “on the side of well-fortified democracy” and “against any form of political radicalism – whether from the right or from the left”.
Merz newly elected
The CDU has elected the economic politician Friedrich Merz as its new chairman. At a digital federal party conference on Saturday, 915 of 983 delegates voted for the 66-year-old, 16 abstained. The CDU calculated an approval of 94.62 percent. The decision has yet to be formally confirmed by postal vote. Their result is to be announced on January 31st.
Because of the corona pandemic, only the closest leadership of the CDU was present at the party headquarters in Berlin. Delegates voted online. In December, in the first member survey of the CDU for the party chairmanship, Merz was chosen with 62.1 percent as the successor to Armin Laschet, who failed as a candidate for chancellor. The election at the party congress was therefore considered a formality.
Merz is the third CDU chairman in just over three years after then-Chancellor Angela Merkel announced in 2018 that she would step down from the party leadership after 18 years. In two previous attempts at the party presidency, the economic expert lost to Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in December 2018 and to Laschet in January 2021. (SDA)