Union Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet has assumed sole responsibility for the poor performance of the Union in the federal election.

"We achieved a bitter result," he said on Saturday at the Junge Union's Germany Day in Münster.

“Nothing can be talked about nicely.

I am responsible as chairman and candidate for chancellor, ”said Laschet.

"I am responsible for the election campaign and the campaign, and nobody else."

At the same time, Laschet rejected the criticism of CDU politician Friedrich Merz, who said on Friday at Germany Day that the Union was "a serious restructuring case at risk of insolvency". He did not share this formulation, said the CDU chairman, and added. "I value Friedrich Merz and I also value his analytical strength, but we had a good program, we had positions that we will continue to stand for."

Laschet went on to say that after the debacle in the federal elections almost three weeks ago, “a clear error analysis” was now required: “What was structurally, personally and programmatically wrong?” In the coming opposition period, it was important “not to be shrill, not To become clumsy, not to stand in the next Bundestag in outbid competition with the two parties, which are also opposition, but to wisely and intelligently put your fingers in the wounds where a future government will do things wrong. "

Laschet is critical of the member survey

Laschet was critical of a member survey to elect a new CDU federal chairman.

Even a federal party congress is "still a very good tool for mapping the breadth of the party".

One should not pretend that federal party conferences with more than 1000 delegates decided to bypass the grassroots.

"I am not against it in principle," said Laschet on the question of the member survey.

“We can do that.” But it should also be recognized that it is easier to get more young people and women into board positions in consensus discussions than in member surveys.

Laschet appealed to the Union that it had to learn to stand together again if the attacks from outside were tougher.

Such struggles as the recent Bundestag election campaign can "only get through if you show solidarity with one another and are a fighting force".

In any case, more unity is a lesson from the poor Bundestag election result.