Merkel turns her back on the Konrad Adenauer Foundation
Former Chancellor Merkel is apparently taking further liberties. The former CDU leader terminates her membership of the party-affiliated Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Even the head of the foundation, Lammert, cannot soften her. The words "break" and "time out" are used in the assessment.
Former CDU Chancellor Angela Merkel is increasing her distance from her party. As reported by "Der Spiegel", she has ended her membership of the party-affiliated Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS). The chairman of the foundation, Norbert Lammert, had tried in vain to persuade Merkel to stay at a personal meeting. "I have simply outgrown this role," she is said to have said, according to sources close to her.
According to sources close to Merkel, the former Chancellor did not want to send a signal against the KAS, but simply wanted to shape her new life freely, without any political constraints. In the CDU, however, the distance that Merkel is apparently seeking from her party is causing irritation. One prominent CDU politician spoke to Der Spiegel of a "rupture", another of an "ice age".
The Konrad Adenauer Foundation is organized as a registered association which, according to its statutes, may have a maximum of 55 members, meaning that new members can only join if there are resignations. However, such resignations are rare. The association includes incumbent minister presidents as well as numerous former federal ministers and top CDU officials. According to the report, the current CDU leader Friedrich Merz, a long-standing rival of Merkel, was accepted as a new member of the foundation at the same time as Merkel's resignation.
During her politically active time, Merkel had helped many confidants and companions to join the elite circle, "Der Spiegel" reported. "This is also her own alumni club, which she is now abandoning," the magazine quoted a KAS member as saying.
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Despite Merkel's decision, the CDU leader, Norbert Lammert, attempted to persuade her to continue her membership with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, where Merkel had helped many associates join the elite circle during her tenure as Chancellor. Her resignation coincided with the acceptance of CDU leader Friedrich Merz, a longtime rival of Merkel, as a new member.
Source: www.ntv.de
