Exposed: Faux CDU Website Peddles Falsified Claims Against Friedrich Merz and the German Coalition
CDU defends against spurious website linked to Friedrich Merz: Party disputes unauthorized site claiming to represent conservative politician - CDU takes a stand against fraudulent site featuring Friedrich Merz: countermeasures the party employs to thwart deception.
In a warped twist of reality, a bogus site masquerading as a legitimate platform dishes out spurious content, aiming to besmirch Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the governing coalition. The target domain is "friedrich-merz-cdu.de," which poses as a hub for the coalition agreement's contents but fails the credibility test.
The Misleading Claim
The website under scrutiny offers unfounded promises from the coalition agreement regarding new social housing, increased refugee benefits, and Arabic street signs.
The Scorecard
These seedy machinations neatly slide into the category of falsehoods. The fabricated site and its bogus content originated neither from the CDU nor the coalition agreement.
Quick Facts from Federal Politics
Want to stay ahead of the game in politics? Sign up for our free, expertly curated Capital Newsletter!
Facts
At first glance, the site seems genuine, boasting an intricate replica of Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and a display of coalition agreement content. However, upon closer inspection, it's all too apparent that this site is sham. CDU spokesperson Isabelle Fischer confirmed the findings to the German Press Agency. Fischer stated, "We are in contact with the relevant authorities, and we plan to file a criminal complaint."
dug up official records linking the legitimate website of Friedrich Merz, which can be accessed through the German Bundestag. The official domain is "www.friedrich-merz.de" - a minor deviation from the deceptive variant. Another official CDU site related to Merz, simply labeled "merz.cdu.de,” directs visitors to the party's main page.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) also verified that the website of Friedrich Merz had been copied and that misleading content related to migration policies had been distributed through the forged address. The BMI observed similarities with previous disinformation campaigns during the 2025 federal election.
In connection to this, the BMI highlighted measures by mainly pro-Russian actors who have been trying to sway public opinion in Germany since the emergence of the conflict in Ukraine. The perpetrators behind the current bogus website remain undetermined.
Mendacious site broadcasts fabricated coalition agreement information
The hoax site spreads a number of untruths, including the assertion that the new federal government would increase cash benefits for refugees arriving from Ukraine to 2,161 euros per month as of May 1, 2025. Additionally, plans for 300,000 social housing units for skilled foreign workers and asylum seekers, as well as the installation of Arabic street signs, are falsely claimed.
A search through the coalition agreement doesn't unearth those proposals. Key words such as "2,161 euros," "300,000 social housing units," and "Arabic" combined with the term "signs" do not appear in the agreement's text.
Official website of Friedrich Merz
Another official CDU site dedicated to Merz can be found on the German Bundestag's website, while the coalition agreement can be accessed on the CDU's official website as a downloadable PDF.
- Friedrich Merz
- CDU
- Fact Check
- Coalition Agreement
- Website
- BMI
- Bundestag
- Berlin
- CSU
- SPD
- Pro-Russian actors
- Disinformation campaigns
- The bogus site, "friedrich-merz-cdu.de," claiming to represent the coalition agreement, has been criticized for peddling disinformation against Friedrich Merz and the German coalition.
- The CDU, alongside the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI), has confirmed that the website is a forgery, with misleading content about migration policies and social housing.
- Despite the deceptive site's claims, no official documents indicate that the new federal government plans to increase cash benefits for refugees from Ukraine, provide 300,000 social housing units, or install Arabic street signs.
- Friedrich Merz's official website can be accessed through the German Bundestag, along with the coalition agreement, which can be downloaded as a PDF on the CDU's official website.
- Pro-Russian actors have been linked to the creation of this hoax site, as part of larger disinformation campaigns observed during the 2025 federal election in Germany.
