The leaders of the CDU Hamburg and the CDU parliamentary group are already preparing the party for the next parliamentary elections in two and a half years. Both party leader Christoph Ploß and parliamentary group leader Dennis Thering used the state committee of the CDU Hamburg on Tuesday evening for a general settlement with both the traffic light coalition in Berlin and the red-green Senate of the Hanseatic city. At the same time, they see the CDU on the right track after the historic defeat in the 2020 general election. Ploß said he was very optimistic that the CDU would come forward with its clear profile, its commitment and its care. “Then we will have something to celebrate in the 2025 general election,” he predicted.
Ploß had previously sharply criticized Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) for his nuclear plans. Habeck rightly said that every kilowatt hour counts, said Ploß. “However, how you can then come up with the idea of shutting down the three nuclear power plants that are running in Germany (…) I don’t think it can be explained to anyone.” The CDU, on the other hand, will put pressure on all levels. He can understand that the Greens are having a hard time on the subject of nuclear power. “But (…) what is good for the Green Party cannot be decisive. It must be decisive (…) what is good for the Federal Republic of Germany and what is good for the people in our country,” said Ploß.
CDU faction leader Thering described the federal government under Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) as clumsy. This has lost the compass and is probably the worst government “this country has ever seen”. But the Hamburg Senate around Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) is no better. It’s not enough to want to sit it out, said Thering. Again he asked Tschentscher to replace his Senate team. Specifically, he named Justice Senator Anna Gallina (Greens), Interior Senator Andy Grote (SPD) and Environment Senator Jens Kerstan (Greens).
With a view to the “Cum-ex” investigative committee, Thering warned the ruling SPD not to block or delay the extension of the subject of investigation to what was then HSH Nordbank. “If the SPD tries to prevent this expansion of the ‘Cum-ex’ investigation committee with any sleight of hand, then there will be a second PUA ‘Cum-ex’,” said Thering.
Within the party, the CDU Hamburg is on the way to dual leadership at local, district and state association level. The state committee voted with a large majority for a corresponding application by the women’s union. Accordingly, the statutory requirements for this step should now be taken. Specifically, the statutes of the federal CDU must first be changed so that the statutes of the CDU Hamburg can then be adjusted accordingly.
The Women’s Union justified the move, among other things, with the high time workload of the chairpersons at the local and district association level. “It is not uncommon for this to mean that very committed and active party members shy away from taking on these offices,” says the motion. This is the case above all with female members and young parents due to the often existing double burden of family and work.
With the amendment to the statutes, all levels should in future be able to decide whether they want one or two people to be their chairpersons. There should be no obligation to have dual leadership, nor should there be a requirement for equal representation.
