Values Union

Last updated

Values Union
WerteUnion
AbbreviationWU
Chairperson Hans-Georg Maaßen
Spokesperson Martin Lohmann
Deputy chairs Alexander Mitsch, Kay-Achim Schönbach, Albert Weiler
Founder Alexander Mitsch
Founded24 March 2017 (2017-03-24) (association)
17 February 2024 (2024-02-17) (party)
Split from CDU
Headquarters Berlin
Youth wing Junge Werteunion (until 2024)
Ideology
Political position Right-wing
Colours  Navy blue
  Orange
Bundestag
0 / 736
Bundesrat
0 / 69
State Parliaments
1 / 1,898
European Parliament
0 / 96
Heads of State Governments
0 / 16
Website
partei-werteunion.de OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The Values Union (German : WerteUnion, WU) is a German party founded on 17 February 2024 by transforming a seven-year-old registered association with the same name. [4] According to its own information, the Values Union had around 4,000 members in 2022; with about 3,000 also being the members of the CDU. [5]

Contents

History

The Values Union was founded in 2017 and mostly included the CDU members seeking to reestablish their party's conservative roots. [6] The formation was motivated by the same shift to the right in the CDU that eventually forced Merkel out of the leadership, due to her flirting with Keynesianism and social democracy to the detriment of the "tough market radicalism of the CDU/CSU" and associated electorate losses to the right-wing, but socially acceptable, "professors' party" (Alternative for Germany). [7]

The CDU's executive committee did not recognize the Values Union as a party subdivision. The critics accused the Values Union of being close to the Alternative for Germany (AfD). [6] The group, which was quite small at the time, argued against Angela Merkel's approaches to the Euro rescue  [ de ] and the 2015 European migrant crisis. One of the founders, Hans-Georg Maaßen, refused to rule out potential coalitions with AfD in the medium-term. The 2019 resolution of the presidium and executive committee of the CDU related to the murder of Walter Lübcke indirectly accused Maaßen and the Values Union of being complicit: "Anyone who supports the AfD must know that they are poisoning the social climate and brutalizing the political discourse". At the time statements by the CDU leadership could have been interpreted as supporting expulsion of Maaßen from the party. [8]

The Values Union has been described as Germany's Tea Party. [9] Prior to turning into a party, the Values Union had no official party affiliation and its role within the CDU/CSU was highly controversial. [10] [11] It has around 4,000 official members. [11] In the 2018 leadership election the Values Union supported Friedrich Merz. [12]

The federal leadership of the CDU initiated expulsion of Maaßen in February of 2023. [13]

The deputy federal chairwoman and North Rhine-Westphalia state leader of the Values Union, Simone Baum, took part in a secret networking meeting between the AfD and other right-wing extremists. [14] At the meeting, the right-wing extremist participants discussed how an expulsion or "remigration" of migrants and people who think differently politically in Germany would be possible. [15] The CDU initiated party expulsion proceedings against Baum and the city of Cologne terminated her employment with immediate effect, likewise due to her participation at the secret meeting. [16]

Forming a new party

In the beginning of 2024, Maaßen announced a vote among the association members in order to turn the Values Union into a political party that will take an anti-immigration course. [17] At a general meeting of the Values Union on 20 January 2024 in Erfurt, its members voted to form a new party with a plan to participate in the upcoming September 2024 regional elections in Thuringia, Saxony, and Brandenburg. [18]

Maaßen had said earlier that the new party will cooperate with all parties that support its program and "are ready for a change in policy in Germany." [19]

The Values Union got 0.28% of the vote in 2024 Saxony state election, 0.56% in 2024 Thuringian state election and 0.26% in 2024 Brandenburg state election.

Election results

StateYearVotes %Seats±Government
Saxony 2024 6,4740.28 (#14)
0 / 120
N/AExtra-parliamentary
Thuringia 2024 6,7800.56 (#10)
0 / 88
N/AExtra-parliamentary
Brandenburg 2024 3,8770.26 (#12)
0 / 88
N/AExtra-parliamentary

Party

The "figurehead" and party chairman is Hans-Georg Maaßen, the former head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Since January 2024, Maaßen has been monitored by his former colleagues. [20]

Shortly after the party was founded, the dispute over direction and power struggles began. Maaßen said that he would ideally like to form a coalition with the CDU, which he called the "premium partner" for the Values Union. Maaßen also said he was happy about the possible demise of the AfD. This caused discord within the party. The prominent entrepreneur Markus Krall and ex-AfD Max Otte were involved in founding the party. After less than a month they announced their resignation. Both criticized the party's unclear program and political direction and its protagonists' overconfidence. [21] The two complained that the party's distance to the AfD was too great. [22] [23] [24]

Political views

Politically, observers place the party between the CDU and the AfD. The WU consciously avoids refusing to cooperate with the AfD. [22]

Structure

Federal presidency:

Former members:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friedrich Merz</span> German politician (born 1955)

Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz is a German politician serving as Leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 31 January 2022 and as leader of the parliamentary group of CDU/CSU (Union) as well as the Leader of the Opposition in the Bundestag since 15 February 2022. In September 2024, Merz became the Union's designated candidate for Chancellor of Germany for the 2025 federal election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landtag of Thuringia</span> Parliament of the German state of Thuringia

The Landtag of Thuringia is the parliament of the German federal state of Thuringia. It convenes in Erfurt and currently consists of 88 members from five parties. According to the free state's constitution, the primary functions of the Landtag are to pass laws, elect the Minister-President and control the government of Thuringia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Otte</span> German-American economist and author

Matthias "Max" Otte is an economist, publicist and political activist who holds German and U.S. citizenship. Otte, who has held professorships in Worms, Graz and Erfurt, is currently a fund manager. He has written several bestsellers, mainly on financial policy topics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hans-Georg Maaßen</span> German civil servant and lawyer

Hans-Georg Maaßen is a German civil servant and lawyer. From 1 August 2012 to 8 November 2018, he served as the President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany's domestic security agency and one of three agencies in the German Intelligence Community. Maaßen is one of the founders and, since January 2023 also president, of the Values Union, a German registered association, converted in 2024 to a political party, that consists mostly of more conservative members of the Christian Democratic Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 German federal election</span>

Federal elections were held in Germany on 26 September 2021 to elect the members of the 20th Bundestag. State elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern were also held. Incumbent chancellor Angela Merkel, first elected in 2005, chose not to run again, marking the first time that an incumbent Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany did not seek re-election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Christian Democratic Union of Germany leadership election</span> Election in Germany

The 2018 Christian Democratic Union leadership election took place during the party's 31st Congress in Hamburg at the Messehallen convention center on 7–8 December following Angela Merkel's decision in October 2018 not to stand for party leader at the 2018 party conference following the party's bad performance in the 2018 Hessian state election and the party's consistently low numbers in national polls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 European Parliament election in Germany</span>

The 2024 European Parliament election in Germany was held on 9 June 2024. It was the tenth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979, and the first European Parliament election after Brexit.

<i>Der Flügel</i> Far-right faction of the Alternative for Germany

Der Flügel is a far-right faction within Germany's Alternative for Germany, a right-wing populist opposition party. The group was led by Björn Höcke and Andreas Kalbitz. Approximately 20 percent of AfD members are organized also in the "Flügel". Following the request by the AfD executive board to dissolve Der Flügel by the end of April 2020, the group's online presence went offline. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) has no reliable knowledge of an actual dissolution. Within the party, Der Flügel now calls itself the "social-patriotic faction".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Thuringian government crisis</span> Government crisis in Thuringia, Germany

The 2020 Thuringian government crisis, also known as the Thuringia crisis, was triggered by the election of Thomas Kemmerich (FDP) as Thuringian Minister President with votes from the AfD, CDU and FDP on February 5, 2020. The election attracted considerable national and international attention because, for the first time in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany, a Minister President was elected with votes from a far-right populist party, in this case the AfD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2025 German federal election</span> General election for the 21st German Bundestag

Federal elections in Germany will be held on 23 February 2025 to elect the 630 members of the 21st Bundestag. Originally scheduled for 28 September 2025, the elections were brought forward due to the collapse of the governing coalition during the 2024 German government crisis. It is the fourth snap election in the history of post-war Germany after those in 1972, 1983 and 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freie Sachsen</span> German secessionist organization (e. 2021)

Freie Sachsen is a far-right monarchist, autonomist, and secessionist movement within the German State of Saxony. It seeks to restore the former Kingdom of Saxony through an autonomist government or a "Saexit if Necessary".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bündnis Deutschland</span> Political party in Germany

Bündnis Deutschland is a minor German political party founded in November 2022. It is led by Steffen Grosse, the former leader of the Free Voters of Saxony and a former Christian Democratic Union member. It describes itself as politically between the Christian Democrats and the Alternative for Germany.

The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance – Reason and Justice is a political party in Germany founded on 8 January 2024. It has been described as left-wing populist, left-wing nationalist, socialist, culturally conservative, socially conservative, Eurosceptic, and far-left. The party is sceptical of green politics and support for Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian War, and has been described as Russophilic by critics, which BSW disclaims.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralf Höcker</span>

Ralf Höcker is a German lawyer und author. He is involved in several factions within the CDU. In public perception, he is noted for numerous high-profile legal mandates related to the press and recurring media presence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Potsdam far-right meeting</span> Meeting about deporting people from Germany

On 25 November 2023, a group of right-wing extremists met at the Adlon Mansion on Lake Lehnitz in Potsdam, Germany. At the event, Martin Sellner, an Austrian right-wing extremist presented a plan for the deportation of certain parts of the German populace, namely asylum seekers, foreigners with a residence permit, and "non-assimilated" German citizens. The meeting was attended by members of the German right-wing populist party AfD, the mainstream centre-right party Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Werteunion, and the far-right Identitarian movement, among others. The meeting was exposed by the investigative journalism organization Correctiv, which published its findings on 10 January 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Citizens for Thuringia</span> Political party in Germany

The Citizens for Thuringia was a political party in Thuringia in Germany between 2020 and 2024. After party defections, it was represented in the Landtag of Thuringia with four seats. The party dissolved in 2024 to join the Values Union. The association of the same name, however, remained in existence.

The concept of the "firewall against the far-right" in Germany represents a strategic approach and political demand within civil society and political circles. It focuses on the dynamics between mainstream political parties and far-right entities such as the AfD and Die Heimat. The primary objective is to prevent mainstream parties from endorsing anti-democratic elements and to discourage alignment with or rapproachment towards far-right ideologies, advocating instead for a policy of non-cooperation with these parties.

This is a list of candidates for the 2025 German federal election.

References

  1. ↑ ""Werteunion" in der Krise – DW – 11.07.2021". dw.com (in German). Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  2. ↑ Schultz, Tanjev (3 February 2021). Auf dem rechten Auge blind?: Rechtsextremismus in Deutschland (in German). Kohlhammer Verlag. ISBN   978-3-17-040065-8.
  3. ↑ Götze, Susanne; Joeres, Annika (25 January 2020). "Koalition der Klimawandelleugner". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN   2195-1349 . Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  4. ↑ Unzufriedene CDU-Konservative: Was die Werteunion ist und was sie will, ZDF
  5. ↑ deutschlandfunk.de (27 January 2022). "Werteunion - Max Otte, die CDU und die AfD". Deutschlandfunk (in German). Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  6. 1 2 Grotz & Schroeder 2023, p. 192.
  7. ↑ Schweppenhäuser, Gerhard (2024). "Die Wende: eine Abwendung. Über 'feindliche Gefühle gegen die Autoritäten' in Deutschland". Angst und Aufklärung. Studien zur Kritischen Theorie (in German). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. pp. 23–40. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-67910-4_3. ISBN   978-3-662-67909-8.
  8. ↑ Oppelland 2020, pp. 60–61.
  9. ↑ Schaer, Cathrin (13 June 2021). "Germany's Tea Party seeks to move country to the right". The New European. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  10. ↑ tagesschau.de. "Kritik an Werteunion: CDU-Politiker fordern Auflösung". tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  11. 1 2 "Werteunion - Max Otte, die CDU und die AfD". Deutschlandfunk (in German). 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  12. ↑ Chef der Werteunion bevorzugt Merz als neuen CDU-Chef
  13. ↑ tagesschau.de. "CDU-Vorstand beschließt Ausschlussverfahren gegen Maaßen" (in German). Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  14. ↑ Daniel, Isabelle; dpa (12 January 2024). "Geheimtreffen in Potsdam: CDU leitet Parteiausschlussverfahren gegen ein Mitglied ein". Die Zeit (in German). ISSN   0044-2070 . Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  15. ↑ "Correctiv-Recherche: Zwei Oberbergerinnen bei Geheimtreffen zur Vertreibung von Migranten". Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (in German). 13 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  16. ↑ "Stadt Köln entlässt CDU-Politikerin nach Geheimtreffen radikaler Rechter" [The city of Cologne sacks CDU politician after the secret meeting of radical right]. RND (in German). 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  17. ↑ Geuther, Gudula (5 January 2024). "Hans-Georg Maaßen will Werteunion zur Partei machen" (in German). Deutschlandfunk . Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  18. ↑ "Germany: Right-wing group to form a new conservative party". dw.com. Deutsche Welle . Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  19. ↑ "Maaßen will mit Werteunion eigene Partei gründen". tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  20. ↑ Escritt, Thomas (31 January 2024). "Germany's former top neo-Nazi hunter now being monitored as extremist". Reuters. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  21. ↑ Riechelmann, Alexander (24 February 2024). "WerteUnion: Ex-Mitglieder packen über Partei-Austritt aus – "Anfall von Größenwahn"". DerWesten.de (in German). Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  22. 1 2 Joswig, Gareth (21 February 2024). "Abgänge aus Maaßen-Partei Werteunion: Splittern am rechten Rand". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). ISSN   0931-9085 . Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  23. ↑ Zeitung, Süddeutsche (21 February 2024). "Werteunion verliert Mitglieder: Markus Krall und Max Otte verlassen die Partei". Süddeutsche.de (in German). Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  24. ↑ Huesmann, Felix (22 February 2024). "Werteunion verliert nach Parteigründung prominente Mitglieder". www.rnd.de (in German). Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  25. ↑ WELT (13 October 2019). "Alexander Mitsch: Vorsitzender der Werteunion verliert CDU-Posten". DIE WELT (in German). Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  26. ↑ "Werteunion - Max Otte, die CDU und die AfD". Deutschlandfunk (in German). 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  27. 1 2 "Max Otte als AfD-Kandidat – Zerbröselt die Werteunion?". www.rnd.de (in German). 26 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  28. ↑ "Ex-Vorsitzender Alexander Mitsch verlässt die Werte-Union". Der Tagesspiegel Online (in German). 5 July 2021. ISSN   1865-2263 . Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  29. ↑ "Ex-Werteunion-Chef Mitsch: Werteunion sollte sich auflösen". www.rnd.de (in German). 26 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.