Berlin. Friedrich Merz is known for not missing a beat. Now he acts more cautiously to get closer to his greater goal.
There is a phrase that Friedrich Merz has been particularly popular lately: he uses it in different variations, the content is always the same. And last week, at the CDU party conference in BerlinIt was that time again. Merz Then he walked onto the stage, arched his back and said: The Union was “ready to assume responsibility for Germany immediately and at the latest next autumn. On another occasion, Merz said he could campaign at any time”. The message: We can start, I’m ready – and if you let me, I’ll go immediately Chancellor.
Capital Inside by Jörg Quoos, editor-in-chief of FUNKE’s central editorial team
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That is your goal, that is Friedrich Merz’s statement. He already sees himself halfway, maybe even three-quarters of the way Chancellery. O Unity it is performing brilliantly in the polls and, in some cases, has more support than the three parties in the traffic light coalition combined. Who else should stop Merz? There are two answers to this: one is Friedrich Merz himself and the other is Markus Söder. It won’t be easy for him, that’s for sure.
Read too:How Olaf Scholz plans his re-election
Merz is working hard these weeks to avoid making mistakes. He carefully considers each statement and thinks through each interview. Merz, who usually likes to present a strong thesis, suddenly seems more thoughtful. He wants the good ones Survey numbers not put him in danger and, at the same time, continue to guarantee his position in the party. At the CDU Some people call it: don’t trip. Because Merz, of course, knows what kind of stories are circulating about him.
Merz brought homosexuality and pedophilia into strange proximity
“Spiegel” recently reported in a long article portraitas Merz shouted at a CDU parliamentarian when he became outraged. Previously, Merz repeatedly made headlines when he was interviewed on TV. A few years ago he claimed that the CDU “establishment” wanted to stop him – it was vocabulary that would otherwise donald trump used. Some time later, he explained that he had no problem with homosexuality as long as children were kept out of the game. Homosexuality and pedophilia were placed in strange proximity. The boss’s statements regularly cause horror in the CDU press office.
Some in CDU I believe this is Merz’s main task if he really wants to become chancellor: no internal tasks Tantrums more and no press statements that could harm him instead of benefiting him. If he can do this, then his big dream of running for chancellor could work. Assuming the poll numbers stay as they are.
And then there is also Markus Soder. The Prime Minister of Bavaria and Head of CSU emphasizes – sometimes more clearly, sometimes less clearly, depending on the situation of the day – that he, too, could easily imagine himself running for chancellor. However, he also knows that the stronger Merz is, the more undisputed he is in the party and in the polls, the worse Söder’s prospects will be. If Merz doesn’t stumble, the Union could continue to perform well, and not just in the polls. But it would also be his political life insurance against his Bavarian rival.