Friedrich Merz wants to reform the CDU-Chairman of the party “with a quiet Hand”. “We are in need of awakening and renewal. We don’t need a coup,” he said at his first press conference after the announcement of his candidacy for the succession with Angela Merkel’s. The basic values are still correct, but their interpretation had changed. For this, the party must provide “clarity on your brand essence”. In his opinion, national identity and traditional values should have “a permanent place in our Thinking and Acting”.
One must make it clear that the CDU was a great people’s party of the center and to stay. “We cannot accept that on the left and right edge of the parties to establish the columns of our society. That voters are connecting the inside and the voters out of frustration with established parties, to the parties at the political edges,” said Merz. Liberal, conservative, and socially and politically Engaged should have side by side.
Merkel will get along, Merz “and clear
The previous CDU”-the Chairman of Merkel, he paid tribute to “great respect and recognition” for their achievements in the last 18 years. You’ve made “a difficult, but correct decision-making, self-renewal, initiate,” said Merz. Now the way was free for a substantive and personal renewal. With Merkel as Chancellor, he wanted to work together in the future. “I am firmly of the Belief that Angela Merkel and I will get along under these changed conditions, and clear. So, how we judge each other.” Asked after his retirement as group Chairman and potential conflict with Merkel in 2009, Merz said: “To reconcile between Angela Merkel and nothing to me. We have met in the past few years more common and well understood.” In 2009, he resigned voluntarily from the Bundestag.
Friedrich Merz – “in Front of you a convinced European” Friedrich Merz is a candidate for the successor to Angela Merkel as CDU party Chairman. He argues for a “cosmopolitan Germany” and the renewal of the CDU. © Photo: Wolfgang Kumm
He was also with the other candidates for Merkel’s successor in the conversation, the Secretary-General, Annegret Kramp-karrenbauer, and the Minister of health, Jens Spahn. The three want to enter his information in “one for the CDU invigorating quarrel,” “but also fair and decent in all formats”. So they wanted to revive the party from the inside out.
As the most important challenges called Merz, Migration, globalisation, climate change and digitization. “The voters expect a clear course in a time of radical upheaval.”
“Truly convinced European”
His ten-year retirement from politics gave him the opportunity to look at the policy from the outside. His professional experience, he wanted to contribute to the international and national levels and to the renewal of the party. He described himself as “really impressed Europeans” and “staunch TRANS-Atlanticist”. Merz is Chairman of the network of Atlantic bridge. The main allies were the democracies of the West.
Friedrich Merz liberal and conservative policy stands for economy and is regarded as a critic of Angela Merkel. The 62-year-old former Union leader had announced his candidacy for the party presidency in a press release. In the population Merz is according to surveys, is relatively popular. His opponents criticize him, among other things, that he said in October 2000 in the Bundestag, immigrants who want to live permanently in Germany, would have to adapt to the “German leading culture”. The notion he had taken up by the former TIME editor, Theo Sommer, and in the political debate.
criticism of lobby control
he is Criticized for the economy to almost. “Friedrich Merz, a man gets to know A Political expert and lobbyist, who wanders between the worlds of politics and the economy and in terms of transparency and avoidance of conflicts of interest in the past, not just exemplary behavior,” says Timo Lange of the organization of lobby control. “Even if he puts his Items in a choice of all, his network and his Company.” It must be ensured that Merz offered his previous employers not have privileged access to the policy, said for a Long time. One approach could be that Merz is obligated to avoid contact to the previous employers, or at least voluntarily disclose.
On his work at the German branch of the investment firm Blackrock, said Merz: “I oversee the company, but not lead them.” She was “not a locust, but an asset Manager, a fiduciary of their clients”. From his point of view, this “no conflict, the question arises”. Also the accusation, he was pursuing a neo-liberal policy, he said. “I have never considered myself neo-liberal,” said Merz. It was a political battle from which he distanced himself. “I’m an economic liberal, a value conservative and a socially and politically committed person.” However, he was of the view that a welfare state can only spend what an economy is able to earn.
in addition to Merz want to compete among other things, the CDU General Secretary Kramp-karrenbauer, Minister of health, Jens Spahn, and three other less well-known candidates for election to the party chairmanship. Merkel had said after the loss of votes their party at the state election in Hesse, that they will not compete in December at the Hamburg CDU party Congress for the party presidency. The election will take place on 7. December instead.
