Published 12 May 2024 at 11.14
Foreign. The German Christian Democrats CDU are changing course – at least formally – and are now scrapping Angela Merkel's immigrationfriendly party program. But it is unclear whether the party intends to stop third world immigration for real, as the left will completely control the party after the next election.
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As part of the party's new strategy, a new program has been adopted at its latest party congress. The new 70-page policy document replaces the previous one, which is now 16 years old and outdated.
Although the party has recently reclaimed the throne as Germany's largest party after its 2021 election defeat, it still advocates mass immigration, has embraced many of its rivals' left-wing cultural values and is rabidly attacking conservatives across Europe, particularly Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
However, the CDU knows that the public is fed up with Third World immigration and other left-liberal cultural ideas, and is working to redefine its positions on the most pressing issues facing Germany.
As a result of this, the party focuses on a stricter asylum policy and relation to Islam, a different energy policy and climate policy and not least the country's security. Even Angela Merkel's old platitude about a German “welcoming culture” aimed at immigrants from the third world has had to be ironed out.
Although the new party program contains goals that can only be achieved gradually, it is clear that first and mainly reflects a desire to regain government power.
On the first day of the congress, the 68-year-old Friedrich Merz was re-elected as chairman, after assuring that he has clear ambitions to become chancellor ahead of next fall's parliamentary elections.
Merz was sharply critical of former Christian Democratic chancellor Angela Merkel.He said the CDU had lost its profile during the 16-year reign of Germany's first female chancellor, and voters must now be persuaded to find their way back.
p>- They must know who we are, where we stand and what we want, Merz said.
However, there is much to doubt about the CDU, as the party prepares to form an alliance with one of the left-wing parties that currently controls Germany, a fact that the rival party Alternative for Germany (AFD) has consistently highlighted.
The CDU has ruled out a government alliance with the AFD, meaning the Greens, SPD and The FDP are the most likely partners in a new governing government.
In short, it means more mass immigration and more left-wing policies that many of the CDU's own voters reject, as the CDU will have to make major concessions to avoid an alliance with AFD, which in theory – especially after the new party program – should be its natural partner.