Parties - Merz attacks Wagenknecht party: "Nobody needs it"
CDU chairman Friedrich Merz has sharply attacked Sahra Wagenknecht and her yet-to-be-founded party. The CDU will tell voters: "Take a good look at this. Nobody in this country needs this mixture of socialism and nationalism," the CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader told the German Press Agency in Berlin. Merz added: "There is a wide range of political options among the established parties, including us, the CDU/CSU Union. There is no gap."
"In the political center of this country, we must ensure that the extremes do not become even stronger," Merz appealed. He hopes that "a clearer political contouring of the CDU will also have such an effect", he emphasized with regard to the draft of the CDU's new basic programme, which is to be adopted at a CDU executive committee meeting in January as a draft for a federal party conference in May.
CDU sees potential of Wagenknecht party at ten percent
Merz said that it is currently difficult to estimate how large the vote potential of the former left-wing politician's new "Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance" is. According to an initial analysis of the CDU, the potential is "definitely around 10 percent. A small proportion of this is potentially at the expense of the CDU." It is also possible that AfD voters will switch to the Wagenknecht party camp. How many is difficult to say.
Wagenknecht, a long-time Left Party politician, left the party in the fall with nine members of the Bundestag to found a rival project. Initially organized as an association, the "Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance" is to formally become a party on 8 January.
Looking ahead to 2024 with a European election and nine local elections on June 9 as well as three difficult state elections in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg in September due to high AfD poll ratings, Merz said: "It is important for us that we have a voter potential of around 40 percent. We will only be able to exploit this under the best and most favorable conditions." The CDU/CSU must become so strong in the Bundestag elections that it will not be possible to govern without or against it. "This goal is achievable, despite the competition we are currently seeing on the far left and far right." The Union is currently polling between 31 and 34 percent.
Merz wants to be heavily involved in elections in the East
When asked how worried he was that nothing would work without the AfD when forming a government after the elections in the east in the fall, the CDU chairman said: "That is indeed a particularly big challenge." However, he was confident "that we will succeed in becoming the strongest parliamentary group in all three federal states again." He will also be "personally very involved in the election campaigns and will also tell people: think carefully about what you do. Because every vote for the AfD is a vote for a left-wing government."
CDU leader: cooperation with AfD and Left Party unthinkable
Merz recalled that his party's incompatibility resolution towards the AfD and the Left Party still applies. "We will emphasize once again and make it clear that there is no cooperation with the AfD for us. This applies to all countries in Germany." With regard to the AfD and the Left Party, Merz emphasized: "It is completely unthinkable that we would work together with these parties." Whether the CDU has to formally decide this again is another question. "We must not and should not upgrade these parties without necessity."
After the election victory of right-wing populist Geert Wilders in the Netherlands in November, he took a close look at what had happened there, said Merz. Foreigners, asylum and immigration were the main issues there. In addition, a liberal-conservative party had not ruled out working with Wilders. "The result is that this party became by far the strongest party in the Dutch parliament. We will not repeat these mistakes here," promised the CDU leader. "I hope that we won't have to talk about this issue too much in the election campaigns."
Warning against a snap election
With a view to June 9, Merz warned that "elections to the European Parliament are always susceptible to think pieces". It is the task of politicians to explain the importance of these elections to the population. "This is the parliament for the whole of Europe, which makes key decisions on domestic policy, foreign policy, economic policy and internal market policy." He will do everything he can to "dispel the impression that it is easy to give a lesson here without consequences. Such a lesson would have consequences."
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- The new "Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance," a mix of socialism and nationalism, is criticized by CDU chairman Friedrich Merz as something Germany does not need.
- Merz emphasizes that there are numerous political options among established parties, including the CDU and CSU, dismissing the need for a Sahra Wagenknecht party.
- According to Merz, the CDU believes the potential vote share for Wagenknecht's party is around 10%, with some of this coming at the expense of the CDU itself.
- Merz admits it's challenging to estimate the exact impact on the party's voters due to potential AfD backers switching to Wagenknecht's party.
- After leaving the Left Party in the fall, Wagenknecht founded the "Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance," set to formally become a party on January 8.
- CDU leader Merz urges the importance of maintaining political balance in the center and strengthening the CDU in anticipation of 2024 elections.
- Merz emphasizes the Union's competition on both the far left and far right, aiming to secure a voter potential of about 40% to ensure governing power.
- Merz declares cooperation with the AfD and Left Party unacceptable, citing their extremist views, even while being mindful of the challenges presented when forming governments with a strong AfD presence in certain regions.
Source: www.stern.de
