After decades of dispute, the CDU is gradually introducing a women’s quota. At the party conference in Hanover on Friday, 559 delegates voted for a compromise presented by the new party leader Friedrich Merz. This stipulates that the quota will be limited to the end of 2029. After a passionate debate, 409 delegates voted against the new regulation, 11 abstained.
The introduction of the women’s quota will take place gradually: Accordingly, a women’s quota of 40 percent will apply to board positions from the beginning of 2024, and 50 percent from July 1, 2025. New regulations are also planned for the preparation of lists, for example for state, federal and European elections.
The CDU has a below-average proportion of women both among members and in parliaments – in the Bundestag it is 23.5 percent. The new rule is scheduled to expire at the end of 2029. CDU leader Friedrich Merz had vehemently campaigned for the adoption of the federal executive board’s proposal. 37.4 percent of the delegates at the party congress in Hanover are women.
