Thorsten Frei's Stance: No Long-term Political Cooperation with The Left is in the Cards
- Don't get your hopes too high, bud!
Imagining cooperation with the Left-wing political party seems unlikely. - Collaboration in Politics: Aligning with the Left an Impossibility
Chief of Staff Thorsten Frei has made it crystal clear that any political cooperation between the CDU (Christian Democratic Union) and the Left Party is a no-go zone. "First off, as the CDU, we’ve got a resolution against working with the Left since 2018," said the CDU politico at the Ludwig-Erhard Summit in Gmund, nestled by the picturesque Tegernsee. No one's trying to rock the boat on that front, as it requires a federal party conference to change the reso, and ain't no one hankerin' for that, according to Frei.
"Messed Up the Last Time, Didn't I?"
After the Chancellor was picked, Frei had blurted out that the Union would need to "chat things up" about working with the Left in the future. "But hey, let's not sugarcoat it, we're in a pickle where we gotta reconsider some issues," he admitted. Turns out, he'd been spellin' things out in a muddled manner. He wasn't talkin' about political cooperation, but about the "technical stuff" of how a two-thirds majority could be cooked up in the Bundestag given the new majority ratios. With the nutcases from the AfD (Alternative for Germany) and the Left out of the picture, a two-thirds majority ain't gonna happen, as was also the case with the recent rule changes necessary for the Chancellor election.
"No Common Ground with the Left."
Regarding political alliances, it's a given that they require a "minimum of shared values." But there ain't no common ground with the Left, insists Frei. So, no coalition is on the horizon.
- Thorsten Frei
- CDU
- The Left
- Gmund
- Tegernsee
- Chancellor election
Insights:
Since Thorsten Frei's statement about reassessing the CDU's stance on cooperating with Die Linke (The Left), there have been indications of the CDU's openness to working with them due to the political landscape and the need for broader support in the Bundestag. However, this shift is more about pragmatism in achieving immediate political goals rather than a fundamental shift in their stance against long-term collaboration. As of now, there's not much detailed info on any ongoing or planned cooperation between the CDU and Die Linke beyond necessity-driven interactions.
In May 2025, the CDU was indeed forced to appeal to Die Linke to secure Friedrich Merz's election as chancellor in a second round of voting. This situation demonstrates that the CDU is willing to engage with Die Linke, at least to some extent, to achieve key political objectives. However, this doesn't necessarily imply a long-term partnership or deep cooperation on policy issues beyond immediate political necessities.
- Despite the recent indications, Chief of Staff Thorsten Frei reiterates that a long-term political cooperation between the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and The Left Party remains unlikely, as per their 2018 Parliament resolution.
- Thorsten Frei's stance was clarified during the Ludwig-Erhard Summit in Gmund, near the beautiful Tegernsee, where he emphasized that any change in the resolution would require a federal party conference, and there's no current interest for that.
- Notably, Thorsten Frei's initial comments regarding the "technical stuff" of working with The Left were not about political cooperation but rather about finding a two-thirds majority in the Bundestag, a challenge that remains unmet even with The Left and the AfD (Alternative for Germany) out of the picture.
- The CDU, under Thorsten Frei's leadership, underlines the incompatibility of shared values between them and The Left, making a coalition an improbable prospect.
- General news outlets have reported insights suggesting that the CDU might pragmatically engage with The Left for immediate political objectives, but this doesn't signify a fundamental shift toward long-term collaboration or extensive policy cooperation.
- In a significant event in May 2025, the CDU did appeal to The Left to secure Friedrich Merz's election as chancellor in a second round of voting, demonstrating their willingness to work with The Left under specific political necessities, but not necessarily forging a long-term partnership.
