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The CDU does not want its party’s conference scheduled for December 4 to take place in its presence. This was confirmed to SPIEGEL from party circles. The dpa news agency had previously reported that the party presence conference for the election of a new party president was off the table.
The party leadership had finished its deliberations with potential chancellor candidates Armin Laschet, Friedrich Merz and Norbert Röttgen on Sunday night after five hours of talks. A framework for the subsequent procedure was apparently discussed. Party leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer wants to present the plan to the CDU bodies on Monday. Details were not initially known.
The party congress cannot go as planned due to the worsening crown pandemic. During consultations, it should be clarified which alternative implementations could be considered in light of the dramatically increasing number of corona infections.
Merz puts into play the party’s digital congress and the president’s postal vote
CDU presidential candidate Friedrich Merz had last rejected his rival Armin Laschet’s demand to postpone the party’s federal conference scheduled for early December. “Under the party law and its own statutes, the CDU is obliged to elect a new party executive this year,” Merz had previously told the Funke media group. “A digital party conference on December 4 is as possible as a decision by the CDU president by postal vote,” Merz said after the discussions.
Laschet had previously told “Welt am Sonntag” that the party congress was not absolutely necessary at this time, and that all matters could be decided after winter. Fighting the pandemic has priority and larger party events are not possible and cannot be mediated. “I think that at a time when people are expected not to attend events, not to leave home, we cannot hold a party congress with 1000 people,” Laschet said after the CDU meeting at the Program of ARD “Anne Will” interviews.
Norbert Röttgen said they had “found a line” during the talks. Röttgen said they had “talked a lot, but constructively and well.” The solution that has now been agreed will be announced on Monday.
“We have a good concept of hygiene”
For days there has been a debate in the Union about whether the party congress can still take place due to the increase in crown numbers. A decentralized party congress was also discussed in several places at the same time. Laschet’s demand for a postponement had also met with considerable resistance from other party members.
“How long should we wait?” Asked Elisabeth Motschmann, member of the Federal Executive Board. “The problem will remain with us for a while,” he said, with a view to the fact that the situation in the pandemic is likely to be difficult in early 2021.
The president of the Communal Political Association of the Union (KPV), Christian Haase, as well as the parliamentary deputy Johann Wadephul rejected Laschet’s initiative. “I think we have a good hygiene concept for the party conference to take place,” said Haase, a member of the Federal Board.
Schäuble and Bouffier apparently asked for a postponement
Other prominent Union politicians spoke out against the transfer. According to information from the dpa news agency, the party’s vice president, Volker Bouffier, asked that the party’s conference be postponed until next year.
The president of the Bundestag, Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU), whose word is still very important in the party, had also asked, according to previous information from the news portal “The Pioneer”, a postponement. The leader of the Brinkhaus union faction also told “Welt am Sonntag” that as long as the number of new infections continues to rise to a high level, a party congress is out of the question.
