CDU works through election defeat: Even the C is no longer taboo

The weeks leading up to the general election and then even more so on the evening of the election surprised and shocked the CDU.

A few months earlier, the Konrad-Adenauer-Haus had thought it impossible that the SPD was gradually edging up to them, then overtaking them.

When the result was in, the party leadership around the top candidate Armin Laschet initially refused to even acknowledge the defeat.

In the meantime, the Union is several steps further - but initially closer to the abyss.

Peter Carstens

Political correspondent in Berlin

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At least that is what can be gathered from an internal analysis of the federal elections, which, under the leadership of the outgoing General Secretary Paul Ziemiak, describes the "process of coming to terms with it" and reports relentlessly on the failed campaign of a party whose "programmatic brand core is missing and has been worn down".

In recent years, the CDU has “increasingly withdrawn from the fundamental social debates, the party reveals programmatic deficits and a great deal of catching up to do on relevant topics”.

The conclusion was that the Union is “no longer credible and authentic” in numerous policy areas.

"Estrangement between party leadership and membership"

According to the 65-page collection of various work results, the CDU certainly has prospects of political resurgence. However, an “implosion of the party based on the model of other Christian Democratic parties in Europe” is also possible. The paper has not yet been officially discussed and approved by the CDU leadership, so at least the nuances are provisional. In addition to the internal analysis, the report consists of four contributions from external observers. This is how Andreas Rödder, who is closely associated with the CDU, describes an “alienation between the party leadership and large parts of the membership”. Last but not least, the good result that Friedrich Merz achieved in the first member survey of the CDU seems to confirm the analysis of the historian Rödder. He writes,that the two elections of party leaders Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Armin Laschet in 2018 and 2021 "had been made against the will of the majority of members". In addition, the decision on the candidate for chancellor came against the view of large parts of the membership.

Ziemiak, who prepared the report on behalf of the party leadership, initially invited all district chairmen to an election analysis in October last year.

From this forum, the wish was formulated to hand over the succession of the party chairman to the members this time.

Ziemiak then undertook a "basic tour" in order to obtain information on the on-site assessments, primarily digitally.

Several target group surveys were added.

Further analyzes resulted from the discussion with direct candidates – successful and unsuccessful – in November.

Missed renewal in 1998

They criticized the campaign for the Bundestag elections for lacking a “mobilizing, emotional key theme”.

The SPD had advertised itself more successfully with the term “respect”.

Not even the CDU chancellor candidate himself was able to say in a nutshell what the main points of his campaign should be.

At Scholz it was minimum wage, apartments and pension.

According to the report, the CDU candidates also complained about the late and controversial nomination of the candidate.

There was immense time pressure right up to the end, which "had an inhibiting effect on the communicative clout of the entire party".

Beyond such observations on the failed campaign, which could also be read in a very similar way in the SPD study “Learn from mistakes” on the failure of the Social Democrats in 2017, the external experts are trying to broaden their view a little. Rödder says that unlike after the loss of power in 1969, when the CDU became a modern member party under Helmut Kohl and the intellectual leadership of people like Kurt Biedenkopf, Heiner Geißler and Roman Herzog, it missed out on a complete makeover after losing power in 1998. After 2005, the donation affair and then the takeover of the party by Angela Merkel led to an adjustment to a “centre that was surveyed by public opinion and mediated by the mass media”. This secured the ability to govern over three elections, but exacerbated several crises of the CDU at the same time: "The power-strategic crisis,the identity crisis and a legitimacy crisis.” Ralf Fücks, who was also asked for his views, speaks of a “programmatic gutting” and “ideal apathy of the Union”.