If the Christian Socialists have their way, the traffic light’s reign will end with the European elections in June at the latest. At the beginning of the year, the CSU emphasized its willingness to govern – knowing full well about the open questions.
No, without necessity or a back door, Markus Söder cannot and does not want to get out of his skin on the “K question” in the Union at the beginning of 2024. “The current role of favorite is clearly stated by Friedrich Merz,” said the CSU leader, without being asked, at the beginning of the CSU Bundestag meeting in the rainy Seeon monastery not far from Lake Chiemsee. And Söder also praises Merz highly.
Under him as CDU leader, the sister parties are closer than they have been for a long time: there is an “almost identical basic view” on the major substantive issues.
Anyone who listens to Söder might think that the sister party has become a twin party. “We are an independent party. We are also running independently,” he emphasizes again, just to be on the safe side, at the end of his statement.
Söder and the question of running for chancellor
But Söder has more to say about the CDU and CSU’s candidate for chancellor: The sister parties should not allow themselves to be distracted in the current phase. “When an election comes up, we will find a good common position in time, but we won’t talk about the issue all year long.” When asked by journalists, Söder said this appeal was aimed “at you and us”. After the eastern state elections in September or shortly before, he and Merz would submit a proposal that would be capable of gaining a majority.
With so much unity and respect, the question remains why Söder isn’t backing down on the K issue now. Theoretically, other potential candidates – such as the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia Hendrik Wüst (CDU) – remained in the race. Weeks ago, the host of the retreat, regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt, named Merz the “clear favorite.” Compared to this, Söder’s statement about the current role as favorite sounds much more cautious.
If you look at the current situation in the Union, the unpopular and unsolved K question is once again the big unknown that doesn’t really fit into the desired image of the Union strategists: The Union is capable of governing at any time and is ready to meet the demands it has felt for a long time To replace the traffic light government that has been criticized throughout eternity. “We are ready. We have the program,” emphasizes Söder. And Dobrindt explains again that the traffic lights have long since lost their legitimacy.
As an indicator, the CSU and CDU cite the current survey values, which, regardless of the institute, see the Union at least on a par with all three traffic light parties with values of up to 34 percent. “There has never been a government that had so little trust among the population,” says Söder, summing up the situation. In addition, not even the SPD, FDP and Greens trusted each other. For Dobrindt it is clear that the traffic light is doing everything it can to continue its work in the spirit of a “bar fight”. This leads to further polarization of society and ultimately strengthens the AfD.
“This country needs opportunities instead of Scholz”
Dobrindt emphasizes that the traffic lights have caused unrest in Germany. “What we are currently experiencing in terms of polarization in society, the economic downturn, the migration crisis, the unresolved energy issues, the disorder, is closely linked to the traffic light’s disrespectful policy.” 80 percent of people no longer trust the government to be able to cope with the country’s challenges. That is why Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) must ask the Bundestag a vote of confidence. “This country needs opportunities instead of Scholz,” summarizes Dobrindt.
The CSU also wants to show with its retreat that the Union is “not a variant of a traffic light government,” but rather the political alternative, said Dobrindt. Not only does she reject the traffic light policy, after the next election she will also work to ensure that undesirable developments are reversed. He cites the abolition of the heating law and citizens’ money as examples.
In football, in such a dire situation, the coach would be fired in the middle of the season, says Söder. “I believe that the change of coach, i.e. the change of chancellor, alone would not achieve anything, but a new election is generally needed. This is the only way to restore trust.” In his view, a quick new election offers the chance to prevent the AfD from gaining further strength.
But back to the K question: Before his sentence about Merz being the favorite, Söder explains where he has a different opinion than the CDU leader: Unlike the Sauerlander, whose relationship with former Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) has been bad for decades , Söder once again praises their reign. It is “very important that, on the one hand, we make it clear that the 16 years in which we governed were good years.”
