A shift to the right or a return to the center? What the press says about the CDU's basic program

Press reviews - A shift to the right or a return to the center? What the press says about the CDU's basic program

According to its Secretary General Carsten Linnemann, the new basic program makes the CDU capable of governing again. "Should there be an early general election, we would be ready," said the Chairman of the Program and Principles Commission on Monday after meetings of his party's top committees in Berlin. People in Germany are insecure and need orientation and support. "And we will provide this orientation with this basic program," said Linnemann.

The majority of German newspapers take a similar view. The votes at a glance:

Turning away from bilateral left-wing course or time travel to Merkel era?

"Reutlinger Generalanzeiger": "In fact, the draft of the new basic program makes it clear where the CDU is heading: a tougher course towards migrants, a German Leitkultur, a demand for a commitment to the Basic Law for immigrants, a clear yes to the debt brake, work should be worthwhile and nuclear power should help with the energy transition. It's like traveling back in time to the era before Angela Merkel. The CDU is becoming more conservative again. However, it is not moving to the far right, but is adapting to the social center. This is also much more conservative on key issues such as migration, employment and the energy transition than the course of the traffic light government. This is shown by the poor poll results for the SPD, Greens and FDP."

"Münchener Merkur": "Finally: The plucked but matured CDU has a new program after the disaster of 2021. It is more conservative and edgier than before. Above all, it marks a departure from Merkel's mushy center-left course, when the CDU governed permanently, but the state was powerless and deaf, especially in migration policy. This manifests itself in a key sentence of the CDU program. From the beautiful, but in its sweeping naivety, words of Federal President Wulff that Islam belongs to Germany, the CDU now makes a clear statement: '"Muslims who share our values belong to Germany". This statement is correct, as is its converse. This clarity continues in many areas - finance, security policy, energy. The fact that the CDU (and the CSU thanks to its parliamentary group leader Holetschek) is talking about 'Leitkultur' again is not right-wing, but speaks from the heart of the middle class."

"Stuttgarter Zeitung": "The black basic program 4.0 - it is the fourth since the founding of the Federal Republic - promises stability and orientation. In doing so, it fills a vacuum: Many people miss the stability and orientation of the current traffic light government. Some are looking for them on the far right. In this respect, it is commendable that the CDU wants to exploit this gap in the market in a way that is at least beyond constitutional doubt. However, it remains doubtful whether it was necessary to mothball the controversial and notoriously misleading phrase "Leitkultur". It is one of the watermarks that Merz has imprinted on the draft."

CDU makes government look weak

"Frankfurter Allgemeine": "The CDU took a while to recover from the shock of losing power at the end of the Merkel era. Two years after being relegated to the opposition, however, it has regained its footing. While the SPD is sticking to its well-trodden path, the CDU is presenting itself as the true party of the new era. The draft of the new basic program proposes changes of direction in key policy areas that the 'progressive coalition', which is struggling with itself, is unwilling or unable to make. These include points such as the extension of working life, which are unlikely to arouse enthusiasm among many Germans. But there are also likely to be citizens who appreciate the fact that a party in opposition pours them pure wine, even if it is sour."

"Leipziger Volkszeitung": "The CDU must first win the Bundestag elections in order to be able to implement this at all. According to the party leadership, the new program makes the Christian Democrats fit to govern again. However, the campaigning ability of the Adenauerhaus is doubtful. And the entrenched image of party leader Friedrich Merz - should he become the Union's next candidate for chancellor - is also a problem."

"Nürnberger Zeitung": "In contrast, the question of who may and may not immigrate to Germany under what conditions, who may and may not invoke the constitutionally guaranteed right of asylum, who must leave Germany and to where, plays a central role in the new CDU platform. And it must. If only because many people in the country expect more or less uncontrolled immigration to be curbed and orderly conditions to be restored, as provided for by the relevant laws. However, the law is not being enforced to the extent that would be necessary for citizens to see: The state and politicians have the problem under control."

"Shock ventilation after the trials and tribulations of the Merkel years"

"Handelsblatt": "When it comes to nuclear energy, the CDU is once again taking a real step backwards from the Merkel course. In view of high energy prices and climate change, more and more industrialized countries are turning to nuclear power. Germany, on the other hand, seems to have fallen out of time when it comes to energy policy. The traffic light coalition and the Greens in particular refuse to acknowledge this reality. The fact that the CDU has at least written the fourth and fifth generation of mini-reactors into its basic program gives hope that an energy supply that is both affordable and climate-friendly is once again the goal. For many business representatives, the CDU program is likely to come as a breath of fresh air after the trials and tribulations of the last Merkel years. Friedrich Merz has thus shifted the axes of his party. Now, however, he must also use this as a basis for an election victory - and then translate his role backwards into government action."

"Kölner Stadtanzeiger": "The CDU is trying to press the reset button with the new basic program: no more empty content, let's have a clear profile. It is questionable whether the paper can achieve this. It is precisely this clarity that the draft lacks in some places: While the passages on migration and social policy are very clearly formulated, other passages leave a lot of room for interpretation. In any case, the CDU is raising expectations that are unlikely to be met. Many proposals will not meet with the approval of potential future coalition partners. The CDU is not a platform party. It has always shown pragmatism, especially in times of crisis."

"Neue Züricher Zeitung": "The CDU is once again moving to the right: in small steps, but still. It is the overdue start of a course correction. Under Angela Merkel's leadership, the once dominant bourgeois force had become a zeitgeist party that was barely distinguishable from the SPD and the Greens. This could change under Friedrich Merz - if the party lets him and if he himself does not lose his courage."

"Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung": "There was once a party that went into the election campaign with a Heidelberg program. That was the SPD, when it first painted the United States of Europe as a vision on the political horizon in 1925. It remains to be seen whether the Merz-CDU will succeed in creating an equally epoch-defining work with its Heidelberg Program. Especially as the Christian Democrats primarily promise individual and material happiness through more work and tax breaks. There is less room for communal experiences. Nevertheless, this program also represents a break with the previous line - similar to that of the Comrades. Not only in terms of asylum policy, but above all in the socio-political character of the draft, which is somewhat pompously German and is certainly intended to win back lost conservatives from the extremist AfD. A good plan, especially when it is combined with harmless things like a gender guideline."

Read also:

The "Reutlinger Generalanzeiger" suggests that the CDU's new basic program represents a return to its conservative roots, which is more conservative on key issues such as migration, employment, and energy transition than the current traffic light government led by the SPD, Greens, and FDP.
According to the "Münchener Merkur", the CDU's new basic program is a departure from Angela Merkel's center-left course, and the party now makes a clear statement that "Muslims who share our values belong to Germany."
The "Stuttgarter Zeitung" notes that the CDU's new basic program promises stability and orientation, filling a void left by the current traffic light government. However, the paper expresses concern that the controversial phrase "Leitkultur" has been included in the draft, which was imprinted on the draft by Secretary General Friedrich Merz.
The "Frankfurter Allgemeine" highlights that the CDU's new basic program proposes changes of direction in key policy areas that the current government is unwilling or unable to make, such as the extension of working life. The paper suggests that the CDU is presenting itself as the true party of the new era.

Source: www.stern.de