2026-02-20 19:07
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2026-02-20 19:07
As expected, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was re-elected as chairman of the CDU on Friday at the party congress of this Christian Democratic grouping in Stuttgart.
The head of government will remain the head of the CDU. Merz has held this position since 2022.
The chancellor took over as party chairman for the third time. In 2022, he received 94.62 percent. votes of Christian Democratic delegates, and two years later he obtained 89.81 percent. support. This year, 91.17 percent voted for the chancellor. participants of the CDU congress.
Merz, facing the problems of low popularity and disputes in the coalition, called in his Friday speech for a more lenient resolution of disputes in the government. – We have to get out of the state where one coalition partner submits proposals and the other reflexively rejects them. This applies to both sides, he appealed.
Admitting that cooperation between the co-governing Christian Democrats and Social Democrats can be difficult, Merz noted that both parties have a “common task of putting matters in order in Germany.”
The Chancellor also referred to international affairs, saying that in the face of an increasingly shaky alliance with the US and “criminal Russia”, Europe must learn the “language of power”. He stated that he considered it a compliment that journalists often called him “Chancellor of Foreign Affairs” (German: “der Aussenkanzler”).
The CDU leader commented on allegations raised in Germany that his statements sometimes unnecessarily raise too high expectations. – Perhaps after the change of government we did not explain quickly enough that this huge reform effort could not be achieved overnight. I accept this criticism, said the Chancellor.
He also noted that he intended to “set the pace, set ambitious goals and motivate.”
The head of government called the CDU “a bastion”, “a rock in a stormy sea” and “the party of credibility”.
At the end of his speech, the Chancellor again ruled out any cooperation with the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is leading in most polls, saying that he would not allow this party's politicians to “ruin the country.” Thus, he supported maintaining the so-called firewall, i.e. isolation of the AfD on the political scene.
The election of the group's head was formal because Merz was the only candidate for this position. Friday's vote was slightly delayed due to technical problems.
On Saturday, the second and last day of the party congress, Christian Democratic delegates will debate primarily the CDU program. The biggest discussion in recent days has been around the proposal to introduce a minimum age for users of social networking sites.
This is the first party congress with Merz as chancellor. It takes place after 10 months of his rule and during the CDU's poll problems. According to a study by the Forsa Institute published on Wednesday, 75 percent Germans are not satisfied with the work of the Chancellor's boss. The coalition with the Social Democrats is regularly rocked by crises, and frustration is expressed in the CDU by, among others, the liberal wing of the party and its youth wing. The controversial issues in the coalition included, among others: the election of judges to the Federal Constitutional Court and pension reform.
In this context, there is an ongoing discussion in the German media about what Angela Merkel's presence in Stuttgart means. The former long-time leader of the Christian Democrats participates in the party congress after a break of several years. She explained her absence at previous meetings by the principle of not participating in current political events. In Stuttgart, Merkel, who has argued with Merz in the past and fought with him for leadership of the Christian Democrats, sat in the front row and was greeted by delegates with long applause. Merz's warm welcome to Merkel did not escape media attention.
It was no coincidence that the congress was organized in Stuttgart. In two weeks, Baden-Württemberg, where this city is located, will hold elections to the federal state's parliament, the first in a series of five state elections this year.
From Berlin Mateusz Obremski (PAP)
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