December 2021 Christian Democratic Union of Germany leadership election

Last updated
December 2021 Christian Democratic Union leadership election
Cdu-logo.svg
←  2021 (Jan) 4–16 December 2021 [1]
1,001 delegates in the 34rd CDU Federal Congress
501 delegate votes needed to win
  EPP Congress Rotterdam - Day 1 (52112981094) (cropped).jpg Hart aber fair - 2019-09-30-9427 (cropped).jpg Helge Braun Portrat 2017.jpg
Candidate Friedrich Merz Norbert Röttgen Helge Braun
Popular vote158,32865,77930,850
Percentage62.1%25.8%12.1%
Leader before election

Armin Laschet

Elected Leader

Friedrich Merz

The December 2021 Christian Democratic Union leadership election was held in December 2021. The leader of the party was elected indirectly by a party convention, for the first time the CDU held a vote by the membership to decide the candidate which the party's executive board proposed to the party convention. Though the convention is not obliged to elect the proposed candidates, the membership vote is considered politically binding. The online vote of members was from 4 December to 16 December 2021 and the convention in Hanover on 21 and 22 January 2022 formalised the election. [2]

Contents

The election was triggered by the resignation of leader Armin Laschet in October 2021. Laschet was elected in January 2021 after the resignation of Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. His resignation was triggered by the loss of the 2021 German federal election. [3]

Three candidates ran, being former Leader of the CDU/CSU in the Bundestag Friedrich Merz, former Minister for the Environment Norbert Röttgen and Head of the Chancellery Helge Braun. Braun was seen as the establishment candidate, being a longtime associate of Merkel. Röttgen, who was fired as Minister by Merkel in 2012, did not have the establishment backing, but ran on a liberal platform and appealing to young voters via social media. Merz was the conservative outsider, being shunned by Merkel for the chairmanship of the CDU/CSU in the Bundestag.

Party members overwhelmingly choose conservative outsider Friedrich Merz in December 2021 with 62.1%, avoiding a runoff election, after he had failed in the previous two leadership elections, to Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in 2018 and Laschet in January 2021. This was seen as a rebuttal to the party establishment, that had backed Kramp-Karrenbauer and Laschet, both seen as being more moderate, aligned in both policy positions and leadership style to Angela Merkel.

Candidates

PortraitNameOffices heldStateAnnouncement date
EPP Congress Rotterdam - Day 1 (52112981094) (cropped).jpg Friedrich Merz (born 1955)Leader of CDU/CSU Group in the Bundestag and Leader of the Opposition (2000–2002)

Member of the Bundestag (1994–2009, 2021–present) Member of the European Parliament (1989–1994)

Flag of North Rhine-Westphalia.svg  North Rhine-Westphalia 15 November 2021 [4]
Hart aber fair - 2019-09-30-9427 (cropped).jpg Norbert Röttgen (born 1965)Chair of the Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee (2014–present)

Member of the Bundestag (1994–present) Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (2009–2012) Deputy Leader of the Christian Democratic Union (2010–2012) Leader of the Christian Democratic Union in North Rhine-Westphalia (2010–2012)

Flag of North Rhine-Westphalia.svg  North Rhine-Westphalia 12 November 2021 [5]
Helge Braun Portrat 2017.jpg Helge Braun (born 1972) Federal Minister for Special Affairs of Germany and Head of the Chancellery (2018–2021)

Member of the Bundestag (2009–present) Minister of State for Bureaucracy Reduction and Federal-State Relations (2009–2013) Parliamentary Secretary of State for Education and Research (2009–2013)

Flag of Hesse.svg  Hesse 12 November 2021 [6]

Endorsements

Helge Braun
Organizations and platforms
  • CDU Gießen
  • CDU Vogelsberg [7]
  • "Weiße Ritter" [8]
Individuals
Friedrich Merz
Organizations and platforms
  • Parliamentary Circle Mittelstand [12]
  • Mittelstands- und Wirtschaftsunion [13]
  • Werteunion [14]
  • CDU Hochsauerlandkreis, [15]
  • CDU Mittelsachsen [16]
  • CDU Sömmerda [17]
  • CDU Marburg-Biedenkopf [18]
  • CDU Wildeshausen [19]
  • CDU Düsseldorf [20]
Individuals
Norbert Röttgen
Organizations and platforms
Individuals

Polls among CDU voters

Fieldwork datePollsterSample size Helge Braun Portrat 2017.jpg
Braun
Hart aber fair - 2019-09-30-9427 (cropped).jpg
Röttgen
EPP Congress Rotterdam - Day 1 (52112981094) (cropped).jpg
Merz
Hart aber fair 2018-10-08-8566.jpg
Linnemann
MJKr01695 Jens Spahn (NRW-Empfang, Berlinale 2020).jpg
Spahn
2019-11-23 Ralph Brinkhaus CDU Parteitag by OlafKosinsky MG 5882.jpg
Brinkhaus
Undecided/
Don't know
23–24 Nov 2021 Infratest Dimap 1,23914 %20 %48 %---18 %
10–16 Nov 2021 Kantar 1,4339 %26 %45 %---20 %
4–5 Nov 2021 Forsa 1,004-19 %27 %5 %12 %13 %24 %
2–3 Nov 2021 Civey 5,012-24 %37 %12 %2 %8 %17 %
28–29 Nov 2021 Forsa 1,000-24 %29 %9 %7 %8 %23 %
26–27 Oct 2021 Infratest Dimap 1,239-25 %36 %9 %14 %6 %10 %

    Results

    CandidateVotes %
    Friedrich Merz 158,32862.1
    Norbert Röttgen 65,77925.8
    Helge Braun 30,85012.1
    Total valid votes 254,957100.0
    Turnoutc. 386,00066.02
    Source: CDU
    First Round
    Merz
     
    		62.1%
    Röttgen
     
    		25.8%
    Helge Braun
     
    		12.1%

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    References

    1. ↑ "Mitgliederbefragung für den CDU-Vorsitz". cdu.de (in German).
    2. ↑ "German politics: The tricky process of electing new party leaders" . Retrieved 4 December 2021.
    3. ↑ "ZEIT ONLINE | Ein Rücktritt, der nicht so heißen soll". 7 October 2021.
    4. ↑ "Merz und Röttgen für CDU-Parteivorsitz nominiert" (in German).
    5. ↑ "Auch Röttgen jetzt offiziell nominiert". Oldenburger Onlinezeitung. MedienKontor Oldenburg. 2021-11-15.
    6. ↑ Robert Maus (2021-11-12). "Braun wirbt für Neuanfang der CDU". FAZ.NET. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
    7. ↑ VRM Mittelhessen GmbH & Co KG (2021-11-14). "Helge Braun: "Viel Unterstützung aus CDU Vogelsberg"".
    8. ↑ n-tv NACHRICHTEN. ""Weiße Ritter" wollen Merz und Röttgen verhindern" (in German).
    9. ↑ "Braun bietet Merz "prominente Rolle" an" (in German).
    10. ↑ "Ein Arzt für die Patientin CDU" (in German).
    11. 1 2 "CDU-Vorsitz: Helge Braun will Serap Güler zur Generalsekretärin machen", Der Spiegel (in German), 2021-11-22, ISSN   2195-1349 , retrieved 2021-11-22
    12. 1 2 Daniel Goffart. "Kampf um CDU-Vorsitz: Prominente Manager und Unternehmer unterstützen die Wahl von Merz" (in German).
    13. ↑ Mittelstands- und Wirtschaftsunion (MIT) [@MIT_bund] (November 22, 2021). "Für MIT-Chef #Linnemann muss in Zukunft wieder klarer sein, wofür die Union steht: "Wie finanzieren wir in Zukunft die Rente? Was ist überhaupt unser Rentenkonzept? Wie gehen wir mit China um? All die Fragen müssen wir jetzt klar beantworten." https://t.co/jgqSK82rLG" (Tweet) (in German). Archived from the original on 23 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021– via Twitter.
    14. ↑ "Umfrage-Hammer zur CDU-Wahl: Mehrheit der Deutschen für Friedrich Merz". Werteunion. 2021-11-22.
    15. ↑ "Parteien: Merz: Kretschmer und Linnemann sollen Rollen spielen in CDU". Die Zeit . 2021-11-16.
    16. ↑ "CDU Mittelsachsen nominiert Merz für Bundesvorsitz - 16.11.2021 - CDU Mittelsachsen" (in German).
    17. ↑ Thüringer Allgemeine (2021-11-21). "Sömmerda: CDU-Vorstand für Merz" (in German).
    18. ↑ VRM Mittelhessen GmbH & Co KG (2021-11-17). "Heck wünscht sich Merz an der Spitze" (in German).
    19. ↑ "Lokale CDU mehrheitlich für Friedrich Merz" (in German). 2021-11-19.
    20. ↑ Tobias Kaluza (2021-11-16). "Wahl zu Vorsitz: Merz ist Favorit der Düsseldorfer CDU-Basis" (in German).
    21. ↑ "CDU: Reiner Haseloff unterstützt Friedrich Merz als Parteivorsitzenden", Der Spiegel (in German), 2021-11-19, ISSN   2195-1349 , retrieved 2021-11-19
    22. ↑ WELT (2021-11-16), "CDU-Fraktionschef Voigt begrüßt Merz-Kandidatur", DIE WELT (in German), retrieved 2021-11-18
    23. ↑ WELT (2021-11-16), "Rückendeckung für Merz aus Thüringen und Sachsen-Anhalt", DIE WELT (in German), retrieved 2021-11-18
    24. ↑ "Michael Kretschmer will Merz als Parteivorsitzenden" (in German).
    25. 1 2 "Mächtige Ost-Unterstützung für Merz" (in German). Bild Zeitung. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
    26. ↑ FOCUS Online. "Merz ist ein kluger Kopf, sagt JU-Chef Kuban - dann schießt er gegen dessen Konkurrenten" (in German).
    27. ↑ Perishable. "JU für Merz als neuen CDU-Parteichef | Presse Augsburg" (in German).
    28. ↑ Maria Fiedler (2021-11-17), "Linnemann bestätigt Rückzug als Chef des CDU-Wirtschaftsflügels", Der Tagesspiegel Online (in German), ISSN   1865-2263 , retrieved 2021-11-18
    29. ↑ "Präsidentin des Wirtschaftsrates der CDU sieht Merz als "unabhängigsten Kandidaten"". Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung (in German). 2021-11-24.
    30. ↑ Anna Schneider (2021-11-25), "Meinungsfreiheit an Uni: "Extrem unangenehm, dem Zeitgeist zu widersprechen"", DIE WELT (in German), retrieved 2021-11-26
    31. ↑ Markus Krücken (2021-11-16). "CDU-Vorsitz Wolfgang Bosbach: Dieser Kandidat ist für mich der Beste".
    32. ↑ Sylvia Pantel (2021-11-15). "Ich teile die Position und Argumentation meines geschätzten Parteifreundes Wolfgang Bosbach ausnahmslos!e".
    33. ↑ Henrike Herrmann. "Buder: Kandidaten für CDU-Chefposten wenig abwechslungsreichdate=2021-11-26" (in German). BR24. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
    34. ↑ Stuttgarter Zeitung, Stuttgart Germany. "CDU-Parteivorsitz: Auch Norbert Röttgen wird als Kandidat nominiert" (in German).
    35. ↑ "Grafschafter CDU feiert mit Norbert Röttgen 75-jähriges Bestehen". Ems Vechte Welle (in German). 2021-11-25.
    36. ↑ Röttgen, Norbert [@n_roettgen] (November 24, 2021). "Ich freue mich sehr, morgen mit den Mitgliedern der CDU #HerzogtumLauenburg über die Zukunft der #CDU zu sprechen. Ich möchte unsere Partei aus der Mitte der Gesellschaft heraus erneuern, das C als unser Alleinstellungsmerkmal betonen & mit Glaubwürdigkeit bei Themen überzeugen. https://t.co/9SDlUKS2Qw" (Tweet) (in German). Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021– via Twitter.
    37. ↑ "Norbert Röttgen - Von Darmstadt geht es morgen weiter zur CDU Bochum. Wir sprechen über mein Angebot zur Zukunft der CDU. Ich möchte die CDU aus der gesellschaftlichen Mitte heraus erneuern, mit klarem Profil. Wir sind die Partei der Sicherheit, der sozialen Marktwirtschaft und des europäischen Zusammenhalts. #jetztabervoran #CDUVorsitz | Facebook".
    38. ↑ "Norbert Röttgen - Morgen geht es mit der #RöttgenRallye zur CDU Darmstadt. Die große Expertise, die wir in unserer Basis haben, müssen wir wieder viel stärker einbinden und nutzen. In diesem Sinne freue ich mich auf ein spannendes Gespräch mit unseren Mitgliedern aus Darmstadt! #jetztabervoran | Facebook".
    39. ↑ "Junge Union in Frankfurt (Oder) favorisiert Norbert Röttgen für den CDU-Vorsitz – 91.7 ODERWELLE". 91.7 ODERWELLE - Frankfurts Stadtradio (in German).
    40. ↑ "Wir haben uns bei der letzten Wahl um den Vorsitzenden der CDU nicht geäußert: Das ist diesmal anders! Die richtige Wahl für den Vorsitz lautet Norbert Röttgen - #JetztaberVORAN!". Union der Mitte. 2021-11-20.
    41. ↑ Ostthüringer Zeitung (2021-11-17). "CDU-Vorsitz: Wer hat die besten Chancen als Laschets Nachfolger?" (in German).
    42. ↑ "Hessen-CDU will sich in Chefsuche einmischen" (in German). 2021-11-10.
    43. ↑ "Grafschafter CDU feiert 75-Jähriges mit Norbert Röttgen" (in German).
    44. ↑ Whittaker, Kai [@Kai_Whittaker] (November 12, 2021). "Ich finde: @n_roettgen ist der Richtige. Damit die christdemokratische Volkspartei auch in Zukunft noch relevant und menschennah ist. #CDUmitZukunft #CDU #jetztabervoran" (Tweet) (in German). Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021– via Twitter.
    45. ↑ Röttgen, Norbert [@n_roettgen] (November 23, 2021). "Ein toller Abend in Nordhorn. Wir haben 75 Jahre Grafschafter CDU gefeiert, hier mit der Grafschafter JU und meinem MdB-Kollegen @StegemannAlbert. Vielen Dank, dass ich dabei sein durfte! Für die Veranstaltung galt 2Gplus. #GrafschafterCDU https://t.co/0Cf2wmaphp" (Tweet) (in German). Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021– via Twitter.
    46. ↑ Motschmann, Elisabeth [@ElisabethMotsc1] (November 25, 2021). "#NeuesProfilbild https://t.co/Bo7IHZPq2Y" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021– via Twitter.
    47. ↑ Matthias Hauer rät zum Impfen [@MatthiasHauer] (November 19, 2021). "Für den #CDUVorsitz unterstütze ich @n_roettgen - für starke Volkspartei der Mitte, klaren christdemokratischen Kompass, moderne Kommunikation mit Klartext, gutes Miteinander von #CDU und #CSU sowie starke Wurzeln aus #ChristlichSozial, #Konservativ und #Liberal. #jetztabervoran https://t.co/T19og2jXhy" (Tweet) (in German). Retrieved 28 November 2021– via Twitter.
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