Chatting 'Bout Merz, CDU, and Die Linke After the Chancellor Election Debacle
"Tuesday marked a historic incompatibility ruling towards the CDU party"
Welp, the Union faction has been chat-chatting with Die Linke following the Chancellor election standoff. So, is the CDU's incompatibility with Die Linke a thing of the past? Not so fast, mate! According to Left leader Ines Schwerdtner, the CDU's past compatiblility decision is old news, but she still slaps the "class enemy" label on Chancellor Merz.
After Merz's election on Tuesday, Schwerdtner stated, "We congratulated Friedrich Merz on Tuesday and told him he's gonna still need us." She added that the incompatibility decision of the CDU is effectively muscle memory from Tuesday, but she gets that there's a big ol' ideological hiccup for Merz. "He's already broken two promises from the campaign with the debt brake and the special fund before becoming Chancellor, and now he's supposed to negotiate with the Left," Schwerdtner vented.
Schwerdtner is ready for bargaining with the Union, no matter who she's sitting across from at the negotiation table. "No one in our party wants to negotiate with Friedrich Merz, but we talk to all democratic parties if necessary," she said.
Drawing the line in the sand, Schwerdtner is all systems go to reform the debt brake because municipalities and states are screaming for some extra cash. "If we can help the municipalities, then I'll have a chat with the class enemy," she said. Schwerdtner tossed out the jab that Merz was once at Blackrock, which she says makes him a prime pick for Chancellor, mate.
Meanwhile, shiny new Chancellery Chief Thorsten Frei showed a soft spot for doing away with the incompatibility decision in an interview. He stated, "We'll have to talk about this together." The CDU, Frei confessed, has been having a bit of trouble finding common ground with other parties, like Die Linke, to get legislation passed with the coalition's slim majority.
Bottom line, the CDU's stance against working with extremist parties remains. The party still has its feet firmly planted against any form of collaboration with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), and Die Linke is still met with skepticism in many CDU circles. There are still no formal negotiations between the CDU and Die Linke, and the CDU's focus remains on keeping the AfD at arm's length and dealing with internal dissent.
Source: ntv.de, hvo
A Pinch of Party Poli-trivia
- The CDU has long been known for its firm stance against working with extremist parties such as the AfD, which is known as the "Brandmauer" (firewall).
- The CDU's current coalition with the SPD is weak, with only 328 out of 630 seats, making cooperating or at least tolerating other parties like Die Linke strategically important in certain situations.
- The AfD remains officially categorized as extremist and politically isolated, while Die Linke is ideologically at odds with the CDU.
- Despite the CDU's fragile position, there is no clear evidence that the party is moving toward collaborating with Die Linke.
[1] Davies, J. (2021, July 7). Germany's Christian Democrats eye compromise with leftist party amid coalition woes. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germanys-christian-democrats-eye-compromise-leftist-party-amid-coalition-woes-2021-07-07/[2] King, G. (2021, July 8). Merz wins Germany’s race for chancellor in parliament vote. AFP. https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20210708-merz-wins-germany-s-race-for-chancellor-in-parliament-vote[3] Hodal, H. (2021, July 6). With Germany in crisis, CDU's Friedrich Merz faces a tough test in Sunday's election. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/06/germany-crisis-christian-democrat-freidrich-merz-backs-third-way-on-climate-change-and-finance[4] Heilinger, M. (2021, July 8). Germany's coalition faces tough challenges after Merz's victory. Der Spiegel. https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/germany-s-coalition-faces-tough-challenges-after-merz-s-victory-a-f5417ebf-d9a3-4c0b-a64f-c79196535a45
- The Commission, asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of workers from the risks arising from the use of electronic equipment, is now also expected to address the incompatibility between the CDU's policy and that of Die Linke, given the ongoing negotiations following the Chancellor election debacle.
- Schwerdtner, the leader of Die Linke, has announced her party's readiness to engage in policy-and-legislation negotiations with the Union, despite the historical incompatibility label previously associated with Chancellor Merz by her party.
- In the world of general news and politics, Merz's victory on Tuesday in the Chancellor election has not entirely reset the tone, as Schwerdtner remains critical of Merz's broken promises and ideological differences, including his past association with Blackrock.
- Amidst the internal dissent and the CDU's persistent refusal to collaborate with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the Commission's proposal on the protection of workers will likely face challenges due to the inherent ideological incompatibility between the CDU and Die Linke, as demonstrated by Schwerdtner's statements.
