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Röttgen vs. Laschet vs. Merz
There were contrasting accents. But the round of the three hopefuls for the presidency of the CDU of the youth of the Union was quite harmonious. But there were exceptions.
The three candidates for the presidency of the CDU, Friedrich Merz, Armin Laschet and Norbert Röttgen, have assured the children of the Union that they will be committed to digitization, climate protection and innovations. All three came out in favor of a digital ministry in the federal government on Saturday night at a performance organized by the Junge Union (JU) in Berlin.
Anyone who had expected a tough discussion between the candidates or great news was disappointed with this virtual exhibition of the applicants. As a matter of course, they were reeling off their answers to the questions of the youth of the party. In addition to the digital issue, it was about education and the future, innovation, environment and sustainability, intergenerational justice and the future of the CDU as a popular party.
You know: Too many discussions don’t work
The scene had something of “The JU is looking for the super boss” that night at Pariser Platz in central Berlin. Huge spotlights illuminated the group and eleven cameras broadcast questions and answers from the state-of-the-art panel discussion to the JUler living room via Facebook or Zoom Conference.
But it stuck with the occasional verbal finger wrestling, such as the dispute over more or less federalism, when economic expert Merz and foreign policy officer Röttgen demanded more opportunities for the federal government to take action on some issues and Laschet backed off strictly opposed. Obviously, none of the three applicants wanted to scare the next generation of the party with a tough argument, because all three of them have known the CDU long enough to know that too many arguments are not being broadcast.
Digitization of main topics
NRW Prime Minister Laschet said a lot had already been done with digitization, but it wasn’t enough. It has to go faster, against all bureaucratic resistance. Laschet tried to score points with the party’s youth by pointing out that there had been a digital ministry in his country for a long time; he would also enforce it as leader of the CDU.
According to Merz, the corona pandemic has made it clear that Germany is digitally misplaced, especially in schools. A digital ministry alone is not enough, it must have clear responsibilities and really cut down on red tape. The ministry must have transversal competence, he demanded.
Röttgen complained that Germany was not only ten years behind when it comes to digitization, but rather 20. The administration was too slow and therefore also hampered innovation. He and Merz both made it clear that Germany needs a different culture when it comes to innovations. Röttgen said that Germans have a security mentality that does not allow failure.
Laschet presents himself as a “doer”
Regarding the corona pandemic, Laschet said that now we must prevent society from falling apart. It is important to lead the country well during the pandemic, balancing fundamental rights and protecting health.
Laschet introduced himself in the opening speech as a “doer” with extensive experience as head of government. Many of the current demands of the Junge Union (JU), such as more climate protection, digitization or intergenerational justice, have already been implemented by your state government or are being addressed. Fight for a modernized CDU.
Merz also campaigned for a renewal of intergenerational justice. Germany needs a new generation contract. The country should no longer live at the expense of the younger generation. Under his aegis, no more decisions would be made that shift costs into the future and burden them with the younger generation. Germany must come out of the Crown crisis in terms of economic and financial policy and focus on green innovations. This requires state-of-the-art technology and, therefore, aims for a technology and start-up offensive.
Röttgen: CDU has to become more feminine, younger, more digital
Röttgen confirmed that he wanted to reform the party as president of the CDU. The CDU must become more feminine, younger, more digital and more interesting. In CDU, problems have to be re-solved without the outcome being certain from the beginning.
Responding to the discussion about the retirement age, Laschet said it could be a little over 67 years in the future. Merz told the youth that they should withdraw if they wanted to; he was in favor of no longer acting with rigid age limits. Röttgen advocated raising the statutory retirement age to maintain the reliability of the generation contract.
The three candidates stood together on stage for the first time in the internal electoral campaign. A party conference with 1001 delegates will elect the successor to party leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on December 4 in Stuttgart. Due to the increasing number of corona infections, it is still open if the delegates meeting can actually take place.
In the end, the head of JU, Tilman Kuban, initiated a two-week survey of members of the youth organization about the presidency of the CDU. The result is considered to be the recommendation of the young people to be elected as leader of the CDU at the party conference scheduled in Stuttgart in early December. The JU, the joint youth organization of the CDU and CSU, claims to have nearly 100,000 members. However, only the 70,000 members of the JU who do not come from Bavaria are questioned, since it is about the presidency of the CDU. Of the 1001 delegates to the CDU party congress, about 100 belong to the JU.
