Germany: Friedrich Merz, gravedigger of the CDU? Liberation

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After critical statements by the conservative party leader about a possible rapprochement with the AfD, the tenors of his training continue to express fears about his ability to unite. His slipping more and more to the right is frightening.

Controlled skid or dodge to the right? Two days after Friedrich Merz left in favor of a rapprochement with the extreme right, the tenors of the CDU continue to disavow him. Tobias Hans, former CDU prime minister of Saarland, on Tuesday morning, July 25, expressed his doubts about Merz’s ability to become the German conservatives’ candidate for chancellor in the next federal election in 2025. He even said to Stern magazine: “Trembling before every interview.” [de Merz] because we don’t know what will come of it in the end.” His opinion joins the long list of criticism voiced within the party itself.

On Sunday evening, when asked about the recent electoral successes of the AfD (Alternative for Germany), Friedrich Merz mentioned a possible rapprochement with the right-wing extremist party. “When a cantonal councilor, a mayor who belongs to the AfD, is elected, it is natural to look for ways to continue working together in this city,” he said at the time. The declaration had the effect of a bomb in a Christian Democratic party, which had always categorically rejected dialogue with the AfD and had also accepted a corresponding motion.

Despite a backtrack on Twitter on Monday, there are doubts about the ability of