CDU boss Merz exchanges his general secretary – Mario Czaja follows Carsten Linnemann. An obvious choice, because Linnemann can do exactly what his predecessor lacked and the party needs now.
A small bomb bursts in political Berlin on Tuesday afternoon: the CDU is changing its general secretary – Mario Czaja is succeeded by Carsten Linnemann. That comes as a surprise, especially given the timing. Czaja from Berlin had only been in office for around a year and a half and had not drawn attention to himself with any blunders. However, therein lies part of the problem. Because the friendly Berliner attracted little attention overall.
The new man is no stranger: Linnemann was chairman of the CDU/CSU (MIT) association of medium-sized businesses for many years and has been in charge of work on the party’s new basic program for the past year. The fact that Merz left him this mammoth task was a testament to trust. The 45-year-old from Paderborn also presented himself as a controversial CDU face on talk shows, where he passionately argued for his party’s concerns. And thus showed exactly the ability that Czaja did not demonstrate – being able to make an impact on the outside world.
But that is the task of a general secretary. He has to sit in the Konrad-Adenauer-Haus and organize party work. But he also has to leave the party headquarters and throw himself into the fray. The Attack Division is part of the job description of every General Secretary. His role is to support the party leader to the outside world and that’s exactly what Merz can use.
On the one hand, the CDU is not in a bad position – it has been the strongest force in polls for the past year and, after the traffic light hiccups of the past few weeks, is almost as strong as the SPD and Greens together. On the other hand, things have not gone up for months. The 30 percent mark seems to be a glass ceiling for the party, which it has not yet been able to break through. The chances are good: the frustration with the traffic light coalition is great – but instead of the CDU, the AfD benefits, which currently reaches 19 percent in the RTL and ntv trend barometer.
Big chunks in the east
This is tricky because important state elections are still to come in Bavaria and Hesse this year. But the really big chunks are coming next year: three state elections in East Germany, in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg. The AfD is in the lead everywhere and could become the strongest force. In addition, there are the European elections in June 2024. Having someone at the top of the party who can have an impact on the outside seems all the more important. Apparently, Merz wants to give the new man time to get used to the role.
At the same time, Linnemann is someone who not only works externally but also internally. This could be observed a few weeks ago at the CDU policy convention, when he carried party friends away with his speech – while Czaja remained rather pale. This is also a plus point for the upcoming election campaigns.
In any case, Merz seems to consider the situation serious enough to throw old party principles overboard. Because Linnemann was already a candidate for the important party office when he took office at the end of 2021. However, like Merz, the East Westphalian comes from North Rhine-Westphalia and thus from the same state association. At the time, Merz wanted someone who would stand out from him. The choice fell on Czaja, who had actually achieved the impossible. He had won a direct mandate in East Berlin. He was able to do that because he was there a lot, took people’s problems seriously and thus won the respect of the voters, many of whom sympathize with the AfD and the left. In that respect, it seemed like a wise choice. Linnemann’s constituency in Paderborn, on the other hand, is a party stronghold with a built-in victory guarantee.
Common Sense Conservative
Politically, he likes to present himself as a common-sense conservative who, on the one hand, is in favor of a stricter immigration policy, but on the other hand wants to bring skilled workers into the country from abroad. At the same time, he is an expert on labor and social affairs. As he said in an interview with ntv.de, he wants state aid for everyone “who really needs it”. About Chancellor Angela Merkel, he said on ntv that she also made “blatant mistakes” during her term in office.
With Linnemann, Merz can be confident that he will throw himself into the new task with a high degree of motivation. But it won’t be easy for him either. Because as passionate as he comes across, with Lanz, Maischberger or Illner you can occasionally see how his political opponents coolly counter him. An example of this was the program commission’s consideration of taxing high incomes more heavily in order to be able to relieve the middle. A treat for the FDP, which immediately railed against the “tax increase plans”. On the other hand, the East Westphalian is making a name for himself with creative proposals, such as tax exemption for working pensioners.
Linnemann is an obvious choice for Friedrich Merz. He brings a man to his side whom he trusts and in whom he has confidence. He also offers him the option of leaving the particularly conservative tones to the new Secretary-General and appearing a little more moderate himself – which could be good for his poll numbers and thus his chances for chancellor. The step is understandable and that’s why Linnemann is exactly the right person.