Germany’s right-wing leader, Friedrich Merz, faces intense backlash over his ambitious plans to ‘lead Germany forward’ amidst controversy surrounding his party’s stance on migration and economic policy.
Friedrich Merz, the favorite to become Germany’s next chancellor, has pledged to ‘lead Germany forward‘ as his conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) assembled in Berlin for a party conference three weeks before national elections.
Friedrich Merz is a German politician and former leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Germany.
Born on November 11, 1955, in Düsseldorf, Germany, Merz studied law at the University of Münster.
He entered politics in the late 1980s and served as a member of the Bundestag from 1994 to 2018.
Merz has held various leadership positions within the CDU, including parliamentary group leader and chairman of the party's general committee.
‘We are ready to lead Germany forward again,’ said Merz, vowing to ‘get to work without delay and tackle the root causes of the problems that have paralysed [Germany] for so long.’
Merz’s Opposition Receives Huge Criticism
While Merz’s opposition CDU/CSU alliance is leading in the polls for the vote on February 23 with around 30%, he has since ignited a firestorm when using far-right votes to push through a motion in parliament last week calling for stricter migration rules.
The 69-year-old received thunderous applause from delegates at the conference in Berlin, who unanimously agreed on an ‘immediate action programme’ to be implemented should the conservatives win, including controversial measures on reforming migration laws and boosting Germany’s struggling economy.
Protests Erupt Across Germany
Outrage over Merz’s move has broken out across Germany, with organizers claiming up to 250,000 in attendance at a major march in Berlin on Sunday. Further demonstrations took place on Monday outside the CDU’s conference centre in western Berlin, with police reporting some 450 protestors.
Germany has a long history of peaceful protests, dating back to the 1960s student movement.
In recent years, protests have increased in frequency and size, driven by concerns over climate change, immigration, and government policies.
According to a 2020 survey, 71% of Germans participated in at least one protest in their lifetime.
The largest protests have been against coal mining, nuclear power, and the G20 summit in Hamburg.
Protests often involve students, workers, and environmental groups, with some turning violent.
Merz Rejects Working with AfD
In his speech on Monday, Merz again ruled out working with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). ‘There will be no cooperation, there will be no tolerance, there will be no minority government, nothing,’ he told delegates, without directly referencing last week’s vote.
Economic Policy and Climate Change
Merz spent much of his speech on economic policy, another major theme dominating voters’ concerns ahead of the election. He slammed the economic and energy policy by the current centre-left government, claiming that continuing on the same path ‘would destroy the core of our economy.’
The conservative leader promised a change of course to improve competitiveness should his conservative bloc win the election, vowing to slash red tape both at national and EU level. He also noted the importance of fighting climate change, promising to do so by relying on technological solutions instead of ‘apocalyptic horror scenarios.‘ A controversial heating law passed by the current government to shift household heating from gas to renewables to meet ambitious climate targets is to be abolished, Merz said.
CDU General Secretary Rejects Criticism
CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann rejected criticism in a speech to delegates, arguing that Scholz’s coalition was ‘the worst federal government of all time.‘ ‘We do not let anyone tell us who was on the right side of history. It was us,’ Linnemann added.
Bavarian Premier Markus Söder said only the CDU/CSU alliance can stem the growth of the AfD. ‘We must not leave our country to the AfD,’ said Söder, whose Bavaria-only Christian Social Union (CSU) is in alliance with the CDU at the national level.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz Attacks CDU/CSU
Chancellor Olaf Scholz also attacked the CDU/CSU on Monday, arguing that the centre-right bloc has failed to agree to legislation reforming asylum laws and granting security services additional powers. The CDU/CSU is ‘endangering internal security,’ Scholz said in Brussels at a summit of EU leaders.
Olaf Scholz is a German politician who has served as the Chancellor of Germany since December 2021.
Born on June 14, 1958, in Hamburg, Germany, he previously held various positions including Mayor of Hamburg from 2011 to 2018 and Vice-Chancellor of Germany under 'Angela Merkel's' government from 2018 to 2021.
Scholz is a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and has been instrumental in shaping Germany's economic and social policies.
‘These laws restricting illegal migration and improving internal security must be approved before the election,’ he added.
