Unity and determination. These are the messages of the CDU and its new Chairman Kramp-Karrenbauer Annegret for this year, with its many elections, and the Brexit crisis. From Potsdam Christoph Strack.
Now it stands in the centre: Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer between Paul Ziemiak (center, left) and Manfred Weber (centre right). More outdoor: Armin Laschet and Angela Merkel.
He was not there. And yet it was as if he had all the time in the meeting room of the Congress hotel Potsdam: Friedrich Merz. Just on the opening night of the nearly two-day closed meeting of the CDU Federal Executive Board, it was repeated to him. In the race for the succession of party leader Angela Merkel defeated candidate, does not belong to a party body, is a point of reference of many Christian Democrats for Merkel-critics. The new CDU-Chairman, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer addressed in various Interviews around the Potsdam Meeting against speculation as to the successor in the Chancellery. And at the same time stressed that the party Chairman has the first access right in the case of a case…
The new role distribution of the CDU. Merkel, who had delivered in early December at a party Congress in Hamburg the presidency after more than 15 years, step was rather relaxed by the meeting-house, in front of cameras and not in the edge interview with journalists and sat in the hall next to her successor at the table of the party leadership.
Boss and journeyman
Kramp-Karrenbauer, who was after one and a half years as Secretary-General and against the male competitors, Friedrich Merz and Jens Spahn had set, was your first CDU-large appointment omnipresent, appeared more often as a statement in front of the CDU screen. And then, when the new Secretary-General Paul Ziemiak in addition to the 56-year-old new Chairman, he dominated in body size significantly affected the 33-Year-old but, as a journeyman. Years of apprenticeship years. AKK, as the fast-talking and every topic controlling Boss called even occasionally, then sometimes willingly the word.
AKK in a good mood between your former competitors, Jens Spahn (left) and Friedrich Merz (R) in the case of an “application event” on 7. December in Hamburg
Not only on the topic of how the party deal with Merz or will consult, looks at some of the Board member forward to the next few months. This also applies to the accounting for refugee policy since the autumn of 2015. Kramp-Karrenbauer of the language even before you are party leader of a planned “Workshop” on the theme of refugees should be recognised in the balance sheet – also to prevent that the Merkel party still hangs onto the subject of so as eternal as the SPD, the social reforms of the “Agenda 2010” of the former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. The “shop talk” is now on 10. and 11. February take place in Berlin – without Merkel. “We want to make sure: What exactly has happened so far? Where are we today? What we need to do or change,” explained Ziemiak.
Uncertainty
They complement well? Paul Ziemiak and AKK
In the “Workshop” would like to Kramp-Karrenbauer with people from the practice to speak – and to make a contribution to get the “nervousness and uncertainty”, the transactions by refugees after violence-in Germany, in the handle.
Kramp-Karrenbauer presented – especially in comparison to Europe’s “stability and prosperity” as a formative factor for Germany in 2019, warned, but, at the same time, prosperity and growth “in the years”. Therefore, the need for economic and structural issues, even when it comes to safety, modernized, checked, also “new” to be adjusted.
Nevertheless, the citizens should see at least two issues in a concrete financial steps. Since the disappearance of the so-called solidarity surcharge, which the Bundestag had introduced in front of almost 29 years to the development in Eastern Germany after the fall of the Berlin wall. No later than 2021, he’s supposed to be like (the next election to the Bundestag is, according to current planning). On the other hand it should give rapidly a “basic pension”, which would be just for people in the East of Germany is important.
Three of the five East German States to choose from in this year of new state parliaments. The Thuringian CDU chief Mike Mohring language in Potsdam about the need for “appreciation” and pointed to the difficult years of those that would have in East Germany in the retirement age, only small covers. He called his own mother; you have worked 45 years and only a little pension. Such people would have to get at the age recognizable more than the basic security of those who were never employed. If the are 100 Euro or ten percent more, which is still open, as well as the specific way of financing. But the CDU wants to tackle the rapidly.
Unity
In the European elections, he stands in the centre: Manfred Weber, the candidate of the European people’s party EPP.
At one point, there were very demonstrative unity. For the European elections in just four months, the CDU is now Manfred Weber of the Bavarian sister party, the CSU, previously group head of the conservative EPP group in the European Parliament, to your candidates. Thus, the two Union parties have, for the first time ever, a common top candidate. And you also want to vote their European election campaign, both strategically and in terms of content. There is an intimacy of the conservative party, sisters shows how for many years.
On Saturday both Kramp-karrenbauer and Weber can maintain that. Then you are a guest at CSU party conference in Munich, to decide if a management and generation of bills of exchange by Horst Seehofer, Markus Söder – to the party leadership. Munich is experiencing a self-conscious CDU leader. With the message of determination and unity.