Friedrich Merz, the CDU and its bid for power

Friedrich Merz has been working meticulously to reorient the Christian Democrats (CDU) since 2022, when he was elected as chairman of the party and also the leader of the center-right parliamentary group of CDU and the allied Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) in the Bundestag, the lower house of Germany's parliament.

He wants to move the party away from the liberal centrist positions championed by former Chancellor Angela Merkel. Merz and Merkel go back a long way, their relationship marked by disappointment, anger, and dislike. Because of Merkel, Merz turned his back on politics in 2009 and went into business.

Islamists do not belong in Germany

At the CDU political convention in Berlin this week, a new party platform was adopted intended to sharpen the conservative profile.

"With this platform, we are ready to take on the responsibility of governing Germany today or by autumn at the latest," 68-year-old Merz said in his speech.

On 75 pages, the CDU sets out "who we are, where we stand, and what we want." The document details the party's positions on all major political issues. There are clear statements on immigration and integration. "Muslims who share our values are part of Germany's religious diversity and our society," it reads while adding: "An Islam that does not share our values and rejects our liberal society does not belong in Germany."

Merz calls for more vigilance in dealing with Islamists and the far-right. "Today, we have to agree with those who say that the problem of right-wing extremism in Germany has been underestimated for years, and we should be very careful not to repeat the same mistake when it comes to the instigators of political Islam, who openly threaten us and who are not prepared to accept the rules of our country and peaceful coexistence in Germany."

With regard to immigration, the CDU calls for an "unconditional" commitment to the "German Leitkultur" (guiding culture), a term dating back to the 1990s that many argue is a call for assimilation. The CDU wants it to be understood today as a commitment to the constitution and to a shared set of values. These include a "shared sense of homeland and belonging," an "appreciation of our traditions and customs," and knowledge of German culture and language.

In an interview with DW's Senior Political Correspondent Michaela Küfner, Merz said "Those who are really integrated and willing to meet all the requirements we are having here in this country, legally, culturally, that these people are really welcome [but] those who are, for example, asking for Sharia state or for the caliphate state do not have a place in Germany."

Getting tough on immigration

When it comes to asylum, the party advocates a significant tightening of the rules. "Everyone who applies for asylum in Europe should be transferred to a safe non-EU country where they can be processed," it reads. Agreements with such a non-EU country should be reached so that those who are granted asylum can then be distributed across the EU. A proposal by church representatives to grant recognized asylum seekers the right to stay in Germany failed to gain a majority at the CDU convention in Berlin.

In its new platform, the CDU also calls for the gradual reinstatement of compulsory military service, which has been suspended since 2011. However, those who do not want to serve in the armed forces should also be able to complete their compulsory year of service in a social institution.

On the subject of social welfare, the CDU is calling for more incentives: Anyone who refuses work or training "must be in a noticeably worse financial situation than someone who is actively looking for work."

Merz is not (yet) a candidate for chancellor

The CDU spent two years working on its new party platform. "Losing the federal election was painful," Merz said at the party convention, referring to the party's defeat in 2021. "But going into the opposition also bought us the time we needed to regroup as a party."

However, Friedrich Merz is not yet where he wants to be. He has not yet been nominated as the CDU/CSU's candidate for chancellor in the 2025 general election. The plan is to wait until after pivotal state elections in the eastern states of Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg this autumn. Only then will the CDU and CSU decide on their top candidate.

Merz is keen to run, but so, too, is CSU chairman and Bavarian Premier Markus Söder — and then there is Hendrik Wüst, the Premier of the country's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Both Söder and Wüst are more popular than Merz, according to opinion polls.

Merz has never held any government office. But the CDU chairman is traditionally the first in line to run for chancellor, as Söder acknowledged in his speech at this week's convention.

No cooperation with the far-right AfD 

Nationwide, the CDU is the strongest party and has been polling at just over 30%. However, in order to return to power, the conservatives will need to find one or more coalition partners. Friedrich Merz has ruled out any cooperation with parties on the extreme left and the extreme right of the political spectrum, which leaves few options in eastern German states.

There, the CDU is trailing far behind the far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Thuringia and Brandenburg, while they are neck and neck in Saxony. Merz once loudly promised that under his leadership the approval ratings of the AfD would be cut in half. The opposite has happened. Today, Merz limits himself to saying that it is the job of the of the CDU to fight against the AfD. He vehemently rejects any cooperation.

This article was originally written in German.

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