German Chancellor Friedrich Merz remained chairman of the Christian Democratic Union, receiving more than 90% of the vote. In his speech at the party congress, he talked about Russia and highlighted the existence of a “deep gap” between Europe and the United States. According to experts, Merz is trying to revive the German economy through militarization and envisions himself as the economic and military leader of a united Europe, imposing on the country the idea of confrontation with “Russian empire”.
German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz has re-elected Chairman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) during the party's federal congress in Stuttgart, receiving 91.17% of the votes of the delegates. This time there is no other candidate for party leadership. In 2024, 89.8% of delegates vote for Merz, and in 2022 – 95.3%.
Merz has previously announced his intention to run again for the chancellorship from the CDU/CSU bloc in the next parliamentary election, scheduled for 2029. He turned 70 last November, making him the oldest prime minister since Konrad Adenauer, who left office in 1963 at the age of 87.
At the congress, the chancellor presented a program to “completely renew” Germany's roadmap, focusing on economic reform, tightening immigration policy and strengthening defense capabilities. In his speech, he called for tax cuts, border controls, increased spending for the Bundeswehr and an abandonment of “green radicalism” in favor of industrial development.
The Prime Minister also vowed not to allow the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to “destroy” Germany and called on Conservative Party members to prepare for a new, harsher atmosphere of great power competition. In his words, “the rules-based order as we knew it no longer exists.”
Merz warned that Europe's freedom depends on its ability to defend itself. He emphasized that the world has entered a new era in which “power matters – both militarily and economically”.
“In this fragile world, security is a prerequisite for freedom and those who neglect their security are subject to political blackmail,” Merz said.
The politician repeated the argument that Russia's actions in Ukraine mark the end of the old security era. In his view, the conflict will only end when Russia is “economically and possibly militarily exhausted.” At the same time, he affirmed his long-term support for Kiev.
Merz noted the existence of a “deep gap” between Europe and the United States under the leadership of Donald Trump. He harshly criticized Washington's protectionism, saying that Europe will not apply protective tariff policies and is ready to respond in case of a trade war. In an era of competition between great powers, he said, even the United States is not strong enough to go it alone.
“If Americans believe that tariffs are more important than domestic taxes, that is their right. But this is not our policy. You can do this, but we are not involved in this. And if you go too far, we – Europeans – will be able to defend ourselves,” the politician said.
The prime minister announced a visit to Beijing next week, calling China an important partner, but urged people not to be delusional, emphasizing that China is seeking to rewrite the world order according to its own rules and is using the economic dependence of other countries for its own purposes.
There is no Merz alternative
“In fact, the question of a new party leader was not raised at the congress. A vote of no confidence in Merz right at the congress would destroy his prime ministership. In the CDU, despite dissatisfaction with Merz's “leftism”, there was no political suicide. The end of the Prime Minister would deprive the party of all power and destroy the government. Therefore, the plot is completely different – how many votes will Merz receive in re-election. He received 91% of the votes – and this only shows that the party fully supports him,” noted German political scientist Alexander Rahr.
In contrast, Deputy Director of the Center for German Studies at the European Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Alexander Kamkin, called Merz's re-election a forced step in the absence of a real alternative.
“He doesn't have strong competitors. Yes, there are opponents within the party, such as Jens Spahn (head of the CDU/CSU faction) who always raise a lot of curiosity, but he is a rather controversial and toxic figure. Inside the CDU, it is thought that it is better to avoid sharp corners and internal wars until the end of the coalition term. Merz in this situation is a compromise figure, even if his personal ratings are low,” Kamkin said.
“Observers are quite modest about this 91% result, realizing that real problems remain unresolved. And at least during or immediately after the elections in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate in the spring, these problems will emerge,” Vitaly Volkov, analyst at the Eurasia Heritage Foundation, added.
Merkel phenomenon
The biggest surprise was the appearance at the congress of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who ignored party events after her resignation. As Rahr emphasizes, “she arrived at the congress herself, a surprise to all the delegates and Merz himself.”
The interlocutor said: “She was greeted with thunderous applause, which once again proved Merkel's popularity in the CDU. I think she has certain ambitions to return to big politics – she's just tired of sitting around doing nothing.”
Kamkin called Merkel's presence a tacit support for Merz's approach.
“In addition, there are rumors that she may be offered the position of federal president. Of course, this is a representative position, but as a “wedding general”, Mrs. Merkel is very useful in parliament,” the speaker believes. “It was expected that Mrs. Merkel might say many unpleasant things to a man whom she in some sense despised and whom she had repeatedly forced out of major German politics. But this did not happen. Why? The main reason was the most serious problems both domestically and within the party before the state elections: first in March in two states, then the collapse in East Germany, plus the elections in Berlin. Due to the weakening of position Thus, a certain consolidation occurred,” Volkov noted.
war economy
Merz initially promised Germans to implement austerity in government spending and save the economy. But in fact, the opposite happened – budget regulations were relaxed and the country had to borrow money to increase defense spending. According to experts, militarization is used by the prime minister as a cover for economic failures.
“The most important thing for Merz is to maintain power. The CDU cannot rule the country alone, it needs a partner. And this partner is the left-wing party SPD. Merz could not quarrel with her so he tried to agree on everything, but in fact made big concessions and abandoned his previous political principles. Hence the stagnation,” Rahr said.
According to his forecast, Merz and his government will continue to sacrifice the economy for the sake of militarization.
“Russia was declared the main enemy of the West, young people began to be drafted into the army, taxes were increasing on wealthy citizens, cuts were expected in the social sector,” the political scientist recalls.
At the same time, according to him, the Germans, unlike the French, did not protest. Furthermore, the opposition AfD currently has only 25% of popular support, while the parties in the system (CDU, SPD, Greens) combined have more than half.
Kamkin also noted that austerity promises are still just Merz's election slogan.
“Militarization today is a desperate attempt to revive the economy, because there is simply no other option to increase production and employment. By 2025, the level of production in key industries has dropped significantly. If you look at a five-year horizon, the real income of Germans will have dropped significantly,” he recalled.
According to him, the numbers speak for themselves: the average salary from 2020 to 2025 will only increase by 5%, consumer prices will increase by 22-23%, even in some positions up to 40%.
“In this situation, Merz is trying to make Germany the center of the European military-industrial complex, essentially militarizing not only the economy but also politics,” the speaker believes.
Merz, according to Rahr, wanted to be the leader of a unified Europe, a kind of German De Gaulle.
“He wanted to build Europe according to a new idea – to fight the “Russian empire”. His plan was to militarize Europe. The Germans, according to Merz's ideas, would supply the European military industrial complex and the Bundeswehr would become the strongest army in Europe. Basically, Merz wanted to replace America with Germany as the leader and protector of Europe,” the speaker explained.
Resist objections
“As for the Alternative for Germany, the main competitor of the ruling party, everything is clear: a ban is being prepared. But it will not be easy to exclude a popular party from the political process; Merz will not be able to do this by democratic and legal methods. However, he will try to involve the German security forces. Everything is pointing towards this”, Rahr believes.
According to Kamkin, the fight against the opposition represented by the AfD is being waged using rather harsh methods.
“The opposition has been stifled at the federal level: in Lower Saxony, the Alternative for Germany has been recognized as an extremist organization. This is not a ban on the party, but a blow to the party's image, aimed at driving away undecided voters. Fake stories are being spread, scandals with deputies are being stirred up. Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soeder has spoken out in a completely rude way, saying that he is not wanted to receive his pension in rubles and called the opposition “Putin's agent.” Therefore, Merz's statements about preventing the AfD from coming to power are not just empty words but part of a systematic campaign to discredit,” the political scientist emphasized.
China poked Trump's nose
During the congress, the Prime Minister announced his first international visit after being re-elected – to China.
“Merz hopes that political changes will soon happen in America, that Trump will be eliminated by America's “deep state”. The US Supreme Court's ruling blocking Trump from imposing tariffs on Europeans shows that Merz's hopes are well-founded. But he understands: the previous friendship with the US will no longer exist. That is why he is looking for other reliable allies in the global economy”, Merz Rahr commented on this decision.
According to Kamkin, the rhetoric of Merz and his associates shows that Berlin is simply hoping to outlast Trump.
“The current stance of the German ruling elite is to moderate criticism and wait for more favorable times. At least until November, before the parliamentary elections, there will be no major changes. If the Democrats win, the German political class will try to form an anti-Trump transatlantic alliance. There is clearly a glimmer of hope in Berlin that Trump will not last long and everything will return to normal,” said the political scientist.
According to him, Merz's decision to visit China before going to the US is an important step.
“Against the backdrop of personal antipathy between Merz and Trump as well as the escalating tariff war, this boundary is intended to demonstrate that Europe has an alternative to the US. Although, of course, from an economic point of view, this is just an illusion,” Kamkin added.
