German conservatives look to future after worst ever election result

Unofficial pitches to be the next leader of Germany’s conservative sister parties were made at the annual meeting of the bloc’s Junge Union youth wing in the city of Muenster on Saturday.

Muenster, Germany (dpa) – While the annual conference has no role in deciding the future leadership of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian counterpart the Christian Social Union (CSU), any party meeting so soon after the bloc’s worst ever election result last month was bound to be watched carefully.

The bloc’s failed candidate for chancellor Armin Laschet took sole responsibility for the miserable electoral performance: “We achieved a bitter result … Nothing can be glossed over. I bear the responsibility as chairman and candidate for chancellor.”

Many delegates however paid tribute to Laschet for his frank analysis of his own mistakes and his acceptance of personal responsibility for the result. Junge Union leader Tilam Kuban commented that “true greatness” showed itself not only in sunshine, but also in headwinds.

Laschet’s one-time rival for the top job, CSU leader Markus Soeder, cancelled his appearance on Saturday at short notice. The move did not go unnoticed by delegates, many of whom mentioned his absence in their speeches.

Germany’s current Health Minister Jens Spahn, tipped by many to be the next leader of the bloc, urged the party to end its divisions and what he called its “climate of mistrust” in his speech, which was both frank and upbeat about the party’s future.

“It was a shitty election result and so is the situation. There’s nothing to talk about, it hurt physically,” he said.

For some time now there had been palpable unease among members towards the party leadership, he added, which is why it was fitting and important that the party’s executive board had agreed to step down to clear the way for new elections at the end of the month.

He ended his speech far more positively however, declaring: “The CDU is not finished … This is not about Armin, Friedrich [Merz], Jens, Ralph [Brinkhaus] or whoever … the [conservative bloc] is bigger than any of us.”

Merz was defeated by Laschet to head the CDU and Brinkhaus is the leader of the bloc in the Bundestag.