The centre-right German has a new leader since this weekend, but has above all a formidable challenge. The choice of Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer as chairman of the CDU in a tight vote has put figures to the schism that part in two of the great conservative party european and like the others, somatiza the push of the far right. Aware of the emergency, Kramp-Karrenbauer, has signed as number two to a young man of the current rival to yours, and has promised to launch a debate on immigration, to build bridges to the wing’s more conservative party defeated this weekend in the Hamburg conference.
Kramp-Karrenbauer, also known as AKK, has chosen a young critic with the sector more centrist of the party as secretary-general. The chosen one, Paul Ziemiak, 33 years old, and until now the leader of the youth group of the conservative tune much better with the right that represent Friedrich Merz and Jens Spahn, the two defeated candidates, with AKK. Ziemiak has been critical in the past with the refugee policy of Angela Merkel, which has resulted in the entry of nearly a million and a half asylum-seekers from 2015.
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“There are many delegates and also on the bases, very very disappointed, because I would have liked a different outcome,” he acknowledged Ziemiak in an interview with public radio of germany. “It’s going to be hard to keep this party united and to motivate those who wanted something else,” he added. Ziemiak considered that both Spahn as Merz should now play a prominent role in the party.
The choice of Ziemiak has been interpreted as a clear maneuver conciliatory, however, that has not finished convince in a party that seeks to split a new impetus. The appointment of Ziemiak –just visited him to the post – has obtained just a 62.8% of the votes, while the own AKK achieved a 98.9% last February to be elected to the same office, secretary-general.
AKK has advance plus in an interview published by the Sunday edition of the Bild newspaper, one of the first measures will be to establish an Betasus internal discussion on immigration and asylum. The next January, will start a working group, which will try to offer improvements to the refugee policy of the chancellor, Angela Merkel, widely criticized by the wing, more right-wing of the party. The idea is to incorporate the conclusions of these discussions in the program for the european elections in may. Kramp-Karrenbauer also tried to mark distance between Merkel, his mentor and predecessor as head of the party and their plans for the future. “Where you have to change things, we will change”, told public television ARD.
Tobias Koch voted for Merz and not to Kramp-Karrenbauer, but nevertheless believes that, “AKK has potential because it has a profile more conservative than Merkel, and that will allow him to integrate the different streams and build bridges. Give him a chance”, played in Hamburg, shortly after news of the triumph of AKK. Not trashed yet Koch, the risk of frustration that gnaws at the side of the losers dies down and “continue the battle”.
The wing is more conservative and critical of the management of the chancellor, Angela Merkel, president of the party for the past 18 years, attributed to the bleeding of votes of the CDU in past electoral events to what they consider to be a turning point to the center of the formation. Both Merz, as Spahn, the two losing candidates, aspired to mark a new stage in which the CDU to distance themselves from the policies of the social democrats (SPD) with which it governs in coalition. Think that Merkel has opened a space to the right of the party that has allowed the rise of the extreme right (Alternative for Germany), which entered last year in the Parliament with 12.6% of the votes.
“there Was a desire of many members to be like the conservatives before, be as in the days of Kohl and saw in Merz’s an opportunity,” explains Koch, of the Land of Schleswig Holstein in the north of Germany and in whose electoral district, 80% of the members will be moved to the preference of Merz out the new party president.
Elmar Brok, mep German conservative voted to AKK, because to him, in addition to the rise of the extreme right, is concerned about the take-off of the Green, which according to numerous polls have already become the second force in the country far ahead of the social democrats. “AKK is in the center and is also a pro-european conviction. Comes from the Saarland, a Land in which they work in Germany and eat in France. Have the europeanism in the DNA,” he joked in reference to the geographical situation of the small State in which it has been forged as a political Kramp-Karrenbauer.
