Friedrich Merz and Helge Braun wear a tie, Norbert Röttgen, the third candidate for the CDU chairmanship, appeared without a tie.

This is an obvious differentiator, but possibly not sufficient for around 400,000 CDU members who want to determine in a survey from the weekend who should lead them in the future.

The CDU party headquarters organized a joint appearance by the three men as a decision-making aid, under pandemic conditions and in talk show format: 25 party members were invited with their questions - previously posted on the Internet - and are called up one after the other by a moderator;

the trio of applicants may answer for one minute each.

Johannes Leithäuser

Political correspondent in Berlin.

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The impression soon arises that the question management has already anticipated the renewal of the party, which the three candidates have declared to take care of first. As you have repeatedly complained about, the CDU has deficits in the representation of women, migrants, East Germans and young people. In the CDU survey studio, initially several women, also from East Germany, then men with a migrant background and young people were asked to answer their questions.

In the concert of similar-sounding answers, after a while, the tones of the candidate Merz seem more conservative than those of the others, the sound of the candidate Braun has a more state-supporting and balancing effect, the voice of the candidate Röttgen definitely wants to appear more unconventional.

In the answers to the first question, which applies to Corona, Braun is still deeply involved in his current role as the incumbent Chancellery Minister and propagates vaccinations, boosters and the most uniform restriction measures possible.

Röttgen let it be known that in the meantime he had “made a compulsory vaccination”, Merz, on the other hand, wanted to show consideration for all those “who cannot be vaccinated for serious reasons”.

No candidate forgets the woman by their side

In the course of the evening none of the three forgot to point out that they had brought women to their side in their application team; Braun and Röttgen have each nominated the Bundestag MPs Serap Guler and Franziska Hoppermann as Secretary General, Merz wants to appoint the Bundestag MP Christina Stumpp as Deputy Secretary General. When asked how the proportion of women among members and functionaries could be increased, Braun recalled the promised quota for women and said, “We have so many strong women that we now have to focus on,” while Merz said Not very paternalistic reports that during the federal election campaign he specifically traveled to constituencies in which women were candidates for the CDU and that he wanted to reserve the right to be party chairman.to support female applicants in constituencies prior to nomination, "even if one or the other man is angry with me".

It may be that Friedrich Merz, the oldest in the group, knows the CDU as it is, a little better than Braun, who makes the CDU look more beautiful, and Röttgen, who wants to make it newer. In its long term in office, the party often had to withdraw in order to allow the respective coalitions to exist, says Braun in his final statement. Now it has to "renew itself quickly" and "organizationally digitize". Almost nostalgic, he then reminds of Helmut Kohl's old election goals - 40 percent plus x - and asserts that he wants to make sure “that we get there again”.

Röttgen, on the other hand, does not want to let his zeal for reform slow down, considers the current situation to be more desolate and the pressures for renewal to be more extensive.

When asked how new unity could emerge from the wing battles in the party, Braun said politely that the CDU had to see its various ideological roots as a strength again.

Röttgen, on the other hand, sighs, if we were only having wing battles, such as the one that once existed between Heiner Geißler and Alfred Dregger, then we could at least demonstrate that we are arguing about content.

Merz has the practical advice ready that in future he will ensure that confidential party leadership meetings do not leak out by asking all participants not to take their mobile phones into the conference room.

A final word with a picture

At the end, all three applicants should enrich their closing words with a picture of their own choosing. Merz has the advertising photo of his own application campaign with him, which shows him, surrounded by Mario Czaja, who is to become his general secretary, and the deputy candidate Stumpp. Braun has a photo of cheering CDU supporters with him - that's how it should be again, is his message. Röttgen shows a family snapshot of himself, his wife and daughter, reflecting on the value of family life outside of politics and on the fact that one encounters “all topics of daily life” there.

The very last word belongs to the current Secretary General Paul Ziemiak, who uses the opportunity to send a short advertising message to the audience: If you liked the candidate show, you can quickly become a party member and participate in the decision.