Interview with Helge Braun: "The basic CDU values ​​are under a layer of dust"

Recently, Helge Braun took the liberty of joking. He sat in the hall of the federal press conference to introduce the team with whom he wants to become CDU boss. As a greeting, Braun wished the journalists a good day "here in East Berlin". Sure, that was true, he was in East Berlin. But much more important: a few days earlier, Friedrich Merz had also introduced his team and he, too, had welcomed the guests “in East Berlin”. He was just in a hotel in the western part of the city. Doubly embarrassing: first try to wink to the east, and then in the wrong place. Helge Braun enjoyed the laughs he got for his little tip and then went on without saying a single bad word about Merz.

Braun doesn't want to put on a show. If only because he is still head of the chancellery. The office requires seriousness, especially since the pandemic took hold of the country tighter than ever. But the Hessian tends to be quiet anyway, which does not mean that he did not want to be heard, just that he tries to do it without din. This can work if everyone is listening to you anyway, but it can also be difficult if you have to assert yourself. Like now with the party chairmanship. Many hope for Merz because he is so assertive.

Braun understands leadership differently.

When his teammates spoke at the federal press conference, he listened with a smile and occasionally nodded encouragingly, like a singer enjoying the solo of his guitarist.

Unlike his competitors Merz and Norbert Röttgen, with Nadine Schön and Serap Guler he has more women than men in the team, which is actually something new in the CDU.

Otherwise, the question would be how Helge Braun, 49, a trained anesthetist, one of Merkel's close confidants, wants to reorganize the CDU.

And why he.

Minister, what is your greatest strength?

What I'm good at is leading in such a way that in the end everyone enjoys working together and happily fighting for a cause.

For example for the CDU.

In the party, I sense a great longing for clarity in terms of content.

But for them you have to fight with persuasiveness and team spirit.

I would like to work for that.

But what quality leads you to this?

Ambition?

Curiosity?

Stamina?

I believe that traditionally it was often seen as a strength when you tried to lead alone.

I have always seen it as a strength when you, as a strong personality, not only tolerate other strong personalities next to you, but actively encourage them.

If the CDU wants to be a people's party that wants to depict conservative issues, social issues, emotional warmth, women and men, East and West, then the idea that this can be achieved through one person is no longer at all appropriate.

Then it takes leadership skills to say: I can also make others shine very well.

The motto of your application for party leadership is “New CDU.

New strength ”.

Where should the strength come from?

You cannot convince others if you are not convinced of yourself.

That means we have to reflect clearly on our values, on a CDU program that is no longer watered down in public by the compromises that we as the ruling party had to make with the SPD.

That's one thing.

But the next step is that we have to align ourselves in such a way that we are addressing more people again with our program, including daughters and grandchildren.