Et’s been quite a while since the CDU had every reason to be happy on an election night. Because the Union has been steadily going downhill for many years. But when, against the trend, it was able to expand its position as the strongest force in Saxony-Anhalt in June 2021, the shadow of an AfD that had to be kept out of power at all costs hung over the victory.
Nothing of the sort in Kiel, and not just because citizens in the land between the seas have always mistrusted political extremism on both the left and the right. The constant changes of government after state elections, together with a variety of coalitions that is unique in Germany, are an unmistakable indication that the party system emerged from the Barschel-Pfeiffer affair in the last few years of the old Federal Republic, all in all, stronger.
The CDU owes its brilliant electoral success first and foremost to its prime minister and top candidate, Daniel Günther, who is highly respected across all party lines. But if things were different for him and for the CDU, the party would not have proven competent in sensitive policy areas such as schools and education – and not at the expense of the smaller coalition partners Greens and FDP, but in an interaction characterized by respect and trust.
In the federal government, it was up to Olaf Scholz last fall to build a bridge between the right-wing and left-wing spectrum. Despite all the pleas for unity, it is not certain how long it will last. In Kiel, however, the CDU proved that it too can fill this role without giving up its independence.
This singular success will further increase Günther’s weight in the Union. For the time being, that doesn’t make him Friedrich Merz’s direct rival. Initially, both would do well to jointly make the Union capable of governing again at federal level, both in terms of personnel and programmatically.
#Günther #wins #SchleswigHolstein #strong #man #Friedrich #Merz