Germany’s largest conservative party has collapsed. In the last parliamentary elections, they suffered a heavy defeat by the socialists who have never done anything good for Germany. The once strong CDU-CSU union, which should in principle be based on German values, has been sinking into the depths for some time.
Their sinking is due to the lack of new ideas, a shift in policy and the disrespect for German values. The problem was more the CDU than the CSU. The Bavarians remained consistent in their policies and, of course, they enjoyed victory in their region as usual.
The coalition between the two parties has long dominated the political scene in Germany. Led by Angela Merkel, they enjoyed overwhelming support throughout the German population. Not only among conservatives but also among many neutrals, but including those who are left leaning.
Yet populism absorbs all structures that indulges them. But that indulgence with the CDU ended with a complete change of course of the party. From the largest and strongest conservative party, an example for everyone in Europe, it has become centre-left. No real conservative party agrees with excessive migration, especially by illegal methods. Not a single conservative party renounces the protection of moral values, the family as an institution, or the religion and spirituality of mankind.
The CDU did it; it gave up everything. All just to be in power. The CDU has forgotten what its foundations and initial goals are. They became bigger leftists than the leftists. That is why many people with conservative values gradually started to give up on them. Others switched to Alternative for Germany.
In 2018, Merkel felt the end of the party and concluded that there was no going back. That is why, after many years of reign, she decided to end her career and announced that after the end of her term, she will not run again either as party president or for chancellor.
A party congress followed on December 7th to elect a new CDU leader. The shortlist included three candidates for Merkel’s successor. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Friedrich Merz and Jens Spann.
Annegret was the most popular among the delegates. A similar model to Merkel, a woman, a progressive populist with quasi-leftist ideas. The perfect candidate to continue Merkel’s policies. The second candidate, Friedrich Merz, is known as a longtime rival of Merkel. A man with genuinely conservative views. A man able to bring the CDU back on its feet. The last candidate, Jens Spann, a renowned gay man with convincing leftist ideals, – the Health Minister at the time.
Spann was eliminated in the first round. It was expected that a man with far-left convictions would fail at a right-wing conservative party congress. Karrenbauer and Merz continued into the second round. The Conservatives’ apparent support for Merz led the left-wing of the CDU to support Annegret at all costs.
After aggressive agitation among the delegates, Karrenbauer defeated Merz by 517 votes to 482. The CDU missed a chance to become conservative again. Several regional elections followed where the CDU suffered disastrous results. They started losing in regions where they used to win easily. Even where they won, they had drastically fewer votes than in previous elections. CDU support plummeted and the AFD rose.
After two years of suffering defeats on the political scene as ordinary conservatives turned their backs and amidst rapidly declining polling, Annegret finally resigned as party president at the beginning of 2021. A new congress was soon organised to elect a new leader. Friedrich Merz came second again this time behind Armin Laschet.
Laschet was an extended hand to Merkel. Since the left wing realised that it could not go with a second Merkel, they slightly changed the model and spiced it up with a former right-winger who would aim to regain the lost conservative votes. However, that right-winger, Armin Laschet, eventually became a loyal follower of Merkelism and was ready to continue her policies.
Merz won the first round of this congress. The need for the conservatives to get their party back was obvious. However, in vain, in the second round with increased background manoeuvring, Laschet received two thirds of the votes of third-placed Norbert Rutgen and won.
The choice of Laschet certainly did not bring anything good. Polled support declined even faster. The CDU was no longer a choice for German conservatives. That culminated with parliamentary elections on September 26, 2021.
Here Laschet was defeated by the socialists, who were also part of Merkel’s ruling coalition. The left of centre CDU voters this time switched to the Green Party and the FDP. Although the new Socialist government has not yet been formed, one thing is clear, and that is that the CDU / CSU will not be part of it. That is the price the CDU have paid for their left-wing policies.
They were always too ready to form a coalition with socialists and leftists rather than a coalition with Alternative for Germany. That right-wing party is small and has no real chance of winning any elections, but it can be a strong ally for a stable conservative majority. The AFD is constantly accused of being neo-Nazi but is far from it. Just because they want to preserve German values does not mean that they are a Nazi. Any real threat of Nazis being politically relevant in Germany ended after World War II and Nazism has no place in the world. That is why the CDU and the AFD need to fight the false left-wing accusations and get the German conservative movement back to where it belongs.
Let’s go back to Laschet. He resigned after this heavy defeat. A new party congress is on its way, where a new leader scheduled for December 2021 will be elected.
Candidates are still being selected, but Friedrich Merz has the highest support. Although he announced that he will not run again, he will probably return as a candidate. Merz enjoys a rating of 37 per cent while his rival will most likely be Rutgen who currently has about 24 per cent support. This difference shows that the end of the left-wing era of the CDU is coming. If Merz wins, together with their partner CSU, they will become a real conservative union that will put Germany back on the right path, and hopefully have a knock-on effect on the direction of the EPP – the European People’s Party.