The CDU and East Germany - Ex-CDU Secretary General: East German experience is more useful
CDU General Secretary Mario Czaja calls for a stronger integration of Eastern German experiences given his party's stagnating poll numbers. "In many issues, Eastern Germany can serve as a role model for the transformation processes happening across the country," the Member of Parliament writes in a book titled "How the East Saves Germany: Solutions for a New Togetherness," to be released on August 12th, one year after his ousting by party leader Friedrich Merz.
Czaja emphasizes that he does not intend the book to be seen as a settling of scores, but rather as an assessment of the current situation and a look forward with concrete solutions on how to bridge the gap between East and West. "There was and is no reason for a settling of scores," he told the German Press Agency in Berlin.
Merz had replaced Czaja in July 2023 after around one and a half years with the Member of Parliament and economic expert Carsten Linnemann. There had been dissatisfaction with Czaja within the party at the time. The CDU has been stuck at around 30 percent in polls for a long time, with some party members considering this figure too low given the poor state of the current coalition government.
"Eastern Germany can save Germany," Czaja writes. In a year with state elections in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg, "in which the East once again risks being portrayed in the public eye as a one-sided problem zone of the chronically ungrateful, rebellious, and latent right-wing radicals," he wants to look ahead critically but confidently. "We have more to offer than just the 'green arrow' at the traffic light," he emphasizes.
Czaja calls for a revision of his party's incompatibility decision regarding the Left Party. He told the dpa that he has always considered the decision that equates the Left Party with the AfD to be wrong. "The Left Party is, in large parts of Eastern Germany, a social democracy shaped by the East," he added. Those who equate both parties are trivializing the AfD.
In an interview with the Focus magazine, Czaja said it was a mistake that the CDU in Thuringia did not discuss forms of cooperation with the Left Party after the last state election. "It didn't have to be a coalition. At the time, there was the idea of forming an expert cabinet with over-partisan heads," he said. He is not an advocate for the Left, but "the Left Party has intensively dealt with its responsibility for the wall and barbed wire, more so than the block parties, by the way."
Czaja is cautious about a possible cooperation between his party and the "Alliance for Progress" (BSW). It is still too early to evaluate the BSW, he says. Any cooperation on a communal or state level should be based on the program and the people involved. State elections are scheduled for September 1st in Thuringia and Saxony, and three weeks later in Brandenburg. With double-digit poll numbers in the three states, the BSW could become a power factor in government formation.
Detailed Account of Czaja's Dismissal
Czaja recounts his unexpected dismissal, describing it as a shock. The initial talking points prepared by Merz, which Czaja found provocative, stated: "No mention of achievements. Mostly praise for his decision to make the switch now." Czaja had criticized this to Merz, who replied that he understood Czaja's displeasure and that the text had not come from him but from his advisory agency. Merz suggested Czaja simply correct and adjust the text, which Czaja found further offensive. Merz, he says, did not take the time to reassess their shared path.
Merz's decision, Czaja argues, was based on "obviously strongly subjective evaluations." Czaja is disappointed that, despite integrating liberal forces into the party leadership and considering their positions in the party's realignment, he still faced resistance from them. He also felt the disappointment of conservative forces in the party, who expected more from Merz as party chairman.
Czaja notes Merz's low approval ratings, particularly among women, which indicated that he was not seen as credible in conservative circles and not politically balanced or attractive enough to liberal voters. Merz attempted to resolve this dilemma by focusing on his core brand - an experienced European politician, economic expert, and conservative.
Russia Not to be Excluded from 'House of Europe' Forever
Czaja advocates for an emancipated foreign and security policy. He argues that the term 'House of Europe,' where former Chancellor and CDU Chairman Helmut Kohl always included Russia, should not be banished to the archives forever. He believes that the desire for peace and stability in Europe, strongly expressed across party lines in East Germany, should be more strongly reflected in Germany's foreign policy. While the Putin regime bears great guilt for the Ukraine war, there will be a time after it.
Special Zones, Children's Startup Capital, DIN East, and East Quota
Czaja suggests using the generations-long healthy skepticism of many East Germans towards "authority" as a seismograph. The East CDU must free itself from "west German embrace" and make independent decisions. More investment is needed in structures for research and development to enable the smaller, capital-poor East German middle class to participate in technological progress.
Czaja proposes special zones to boost the East German economy, along with more support for early childhood and school education. He advocates for a 'Children's Startup Capital' - a basic fund of 10,000 euros for every child growing up in Germany. He also calls for an East quota, with 20% of leadership positions in federal ministries filled by East Germans.
The CDU, led by General Secretary Mario Czaja, believes that Eastern Germany can serve as a role model for the country's transformation processes due to its unique experiences. In his book "How the East Saves Germany: Solutions for a New Togetherness," Czaja emphasizes that Eastern Germany has more to offer than just being a problem zone and that it can save Germany in its current state.
