Parties - Former head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution Maassen plans his own party
The former President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and CDU politician Hans-Georg Maaßen is preparing to found a new party, according to his own statements. Maaßen told the German Press Agency on Thursday that the members of the conservative association Werteunion could decide on steps towards this on January 20. He spoke of a split from the CDU and CSU. The new party could run in the state elections in eastern Germany in September, Maaßen explained. The plans were first reported by t-online.
Following the "Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance", which plans to launch as a party next week, a second new formation could shake up the party structure in Germany this year. Both formations are also aiming to take votes away from the AfD. However, it is relatively difficult for new parties to set themselves up nationwide and establish themselves over a longer period of time. They have to establish regional associations and have a correspondingly large number of members and officials.
Association with 4000 members
According to its own information, the Werteunion has around 4000 members. Maaßen has been the chairman for around a year. The 61-year-old Maaßen is a CDU member, but expulsion proceedings are underway against him.
According to him, this is how the party could be founded: At the general meeting of the Werteunion on January 20 in Erfurt, a decision could be made on transferring the naming rights to a new party to be founded called WerteUnion. The current Werteunion association is to become a support association "with the aim of supporting conservative politics in Germany", as Maaßen wrote.
"If the general assembly agrees to these far-reaching changes, this would be the first step towards the Werteunion splitting off from the CDU and CSU," Maaßen explained.
The Werteunion has long been close to the CDU and CSU, but is not a party grouping. It is considered to be particularly conservative and has sometimes sharply criticized the CDU line under former Chancellor Angela Merkel.
New party wants a "political turnaround"
Maaßen wrote that the members of the Werteunion are connected to the CDU and CSU "in some cases through decades of membership, but since Angela Merkel, today's Union parties no longer represent the brand essence of the CDU: freedom instead of socialism."
The past year has shown that CDU federal chairman Friedrich Merz and the party leadership are not prepared to change policy. "Instead, the left-wing course of Merkel's CDU is to be continued," said Maaßen. "Merkel's policies have caused considerable damage to Germany in all political areas."
He continued: "The party could already run in the upcoming state elections in eastern Germany and would work with all parties that support this program and are prepared to make a political turnaround in Germany." State elections are due to be held in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg in September.
The AfD is currently in first place in the polls in all three states. As things stand, however, no other party wants to form a government with the AfD. This could possibly be different with the new formations.
Former Left Party politician Sahra Wagenknecht sees her new party as a "serious address" for voters who currently support the AfD out of protest. She holds some positions that are similar to those of the AfD, such as a strict migration policy and a rejection of energy sanctions against Russia. In terms of economic policy, it represents more left-wing positions in favor of redistribution through taxation of very high incomes and wealth.
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- The new party envisioned by Hans-Georg Maaßen, a former CDU member and former head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, could potentially run in the state elections in eastern Germany, as mentioned by Maaßen in discussions with the German Press Agency.
- The Werteunion, an association with around 4000 members that Maaßen currently chairs, could transfer its naming rights to a new party at its general meeting on January 20 in Erfurt, marking the first step towards a potential split from the CDU and CSU, as outlined by Maaßen.
- Maaßen's plans for a new party aim to capitalize on dissatisfaction with the current CDU and CSU, citing a departure from traditional conservative values and a left-wing course under former Chancellor Angela Merkel as reasons for the split.
- The German Press Agency report also noted that the Werteunion's conservative values have often clashed with the CDU's under Merkel's leadership, with the Werteunion frequently criticizing the party's line.
- Maaßen's plans for a new party come in the wake of the formation of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, which is set to launch as a party next week and aims to take votes away from the AfD.
- The new parties, including Maaßen's potentially forming Werteunion and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, could pose a challenge to the established parties like the CDU, CSU, and AfD in Germany, particularly in the upcoming state elections in eastern Germany (Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg) in September.
- Both new parties strive to attract voters dissatisfied with the traditional parties and the current political landscape in Germany, with the AfD currently polling first in all three states but no other party willing to form a government with them.
Source: www.stern.de
