Union faction leader Ralph Brinkhaus is giving up his post in favor of future party leader Friedrich Merz.
Berlin – The chairman of the Union faction in the Bundestag, Ralph Brinkhaus, is resigning from his post in favor of the designated party chairman Friedrich Merz and rejecting a renewed candidacy for the office. Brinkhaus announced this on Thursday evening in a letter to the members of the Bundestag from the CDU* and CSU*, which was available to the German Press Agency in Berlin.
Brinkhaus makes room for Merz – change at the top of the Union faction
In 2018, Brinkhaus prevailed against the long-standing parliamentary group leader Volker Kauder (CDU) in a contest vote and has since headed the Union parliamentary group in the German Bundestag. By not running again, the 53-year-old is now making room for Friedrich Merz, who held the office of parliamentary group leader between 2000 and 2002 before being replaced by Angela Merkel.
Merz was elected party leader of the Christian Democrats at the CDU party conference at the weekend with a large majority. However, his election still has to be formally confirmed by postal ballot. The fact that the 66-year-old will now take on the office of parliamentary group leader in addition to the office of party leader makes it clear that the CDU will realign itself under the leadership of Merz after the electoral defeat in the 2021 federal election.
CDU focuses on party leader Merz – 66-year-old also becomes group leader
For the designated party leader, it was the third candidacy to be elected to the top of the CDU. In 2018, Merz was defeated by the later Federal Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and after her resignation at the end of 2021 also by the later candidate for Chancellor Armin Laschet*. Laschet resigned from his position as party leader in response to the election defeat in the 2021 federal election so that the party could realign itself under new leadership.
In the future, Merz will also hold the unofficial office of opposition leader as parliamentary group leader of the largest opposition party in the Bundestag. The election of Merz as parliamentary group chairman should take place in the next week of the meeting on February 15th and should therefore be brought forward at Brinkhaus’s suggestion. The 53-year-old was originally elected parliamentary group leader until the end of April after the 2021 federal election. Especially in the last few years of Angela Merkel’s term as chancellor, there were louder calls within the party for the chancellorship and party chairmanship to be combined in one person. The CDU is now living up to these calls, at least in its role as an opposition party. (fd/dpa) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
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