Saxon CDU District Chairs to Merz: Discussion on a Fresh Start

Following the CDU’s poor showing in the Saxony-Anhalt state election, Saxony’s district chairpersons have called for swift discussions on a fresh start for the party in a letter to Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz. “The disastrous election results in Saxony-Anhalt last Sunday have shown the dramatic extent to which the public has lost confidence in both the work of the federal government and the policies of the Union,” the letter to party leader Merz and CDU Secretary-General Franziska Hoppermann states. “Politico” journalist Rasmus Buchsteiner published the letter on X—the office of Dresden CDU district chairman Ingo Flemming confirmed the letter’s authenticity. 

With approval ratings hovering around 20 percent, the question of whether the CDU will still be a people’s party in the future is more than justified, the letter states. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where a new state parliament will be elected in a week, the situation appears even more serious according to the latest polls.

Call for a ruthless analysis and a fresh start

“What is needed now is a ruthless analysis and a fresh start without further delay,” the district chairpersons write. This is what the members expect—and this sentiment is also reflected by citizens and the business community. At a district chairpersons’ conference to be held well before the scheduled date in November, it must be clarified how the CDU can regain its former strength, what its clear vision for Germany looks like, and how it can regain trust. 

In Sunday’s state election in Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD emerged as by far the strongest party with 43.8 percent of the vote—ahead of the CDU, which received 17.2 percent. It was the CDU’s worst result in a state election in Saxony-Anhalt since reunification. The CDU lost 25 seats; in the new state parliament, the party’s caucus is now represented by only 15 members.