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Bundestag election: Laschet distances himself from Maassen statements

Bundestag election: Laschet distances himself from Maassen statements

The parties position themselves for the Bundestag election. Follow all developments in the news blog.

CDU boss Armin Laschet has clearly distanced himself from the attacks by CDU Bundestag candidate Hans-Georg Maaßen on public media. “Our position on public service broadcasting is crystal clear. Especially at a time like now, when there is so much fake news about the pandemic, strong public service broadcasting is important,” said Laschet at an event for the women’s magazine Brigitte. “That is the position of the entire CDU,” added the CDU chief, who never once mentioned the name of the former President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

Maaßen was formerly President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and is a direct candidate for the CDU in a constituency in southern Thuringia. He had recently caused outrage by accusing the public service media of tendentious reporting: “I no longer see the balance of reporting,” he told the broadcaster tv.Berlin. There is a “clear left twist”. Maaßen spoke of links between editorial staff and the left-wing extremist scene and brought an “NDR committee of inquiry” into discussion. The NDR produces the “Tagesschau” for the ARD. On Sunday evening he then emphasized that freedom of the press and broadcasting had constitutional status. The “biography of some editors” should also be put to the test. The CDU presidium had already clearly distanced itself from its previous statements on Monday. Laschet had been quoted by participants as saying that Maaßen was harmful to the party.

On Wednesday evening, however, the CDU chief made it clear that there are very high hurdles to expel from the party. If someone has a different opinion, you have to make this clear. However, Laschet added to the criticism of the SPD, Greens and FDP that he was silent on Maaßen’s statements that he did not intend to upgrade Maaßen’s comments every time through his own positioning. You shouldn’t let the topics be forced on you. Maaßen address issues that are not the problems in Germany.

The course of the CDU is also very clear, emphasized Laschet: “We have to maintain the course of the center. We have to delimit ourselves clearly to the right.” There will and cannot be any cooperation with the AfD. (07.07.2021)

Seehofer considers criticism of Baerbock “simply exaggerated”

Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) considers the ongoing criticism of the Green Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock and her book to be exaggerated and advises to be more relaxed during the election campaign. “I think that’s just exaggerated,” said Seehofer Süddeutsche Zeitung. “How many books have been written in which you simply reproduce things from programs, from other concepts. And since it is not a scientific work, you are not obliged to cite the source.” It is appropriate to discuss such a book for “a day or two”. “And then it has to be good again. I advise you to be more relaxed.”

After weeks of debates about the credibility of the Green candidate for Chancellor Baerbock and her book, which contains copied passages, the Greens finally defended themselves legally. After the debate intensified, the top of the Union accused the Greens on Monday of using Trump methods in the election campaign.

Seehofer, on the other hand, was unimpressed. “I really can’t say this is the dirtiest campaign ever.” His first election campaign between Strauss and Helmut Schmidt, later with Helmut Kohl, were “a completely different caliber of emotional campaigning”. A bit of sharpness is part of the political controversy. “We’re not boring potato end users,” he said. Anyone who is attacked has to endure it for a few days. “These are the endurance tests that anyone who wants to lead the country has to go through.” But then it is enough again. “You don’t have to make a serial out of it.” (Constanze von Bullion, July 6th, 2021)

Police union criticizes CDU poster

The police union (GdP) criticizes the CDU for an election campaign poster showing an employee disguised as a police officer. “Just as policemen are not allowed to go to party meetings in uniform, parties should not advertise themselves with fake policemen in our outfit,” said the deputy GdP federal chairman Jörg Radek picture. “We are there for all citizens, not the set for election programs, not even those of police friends. Without the accompanying text ‘Attention! this can also be punishable. “

CDU General Secretary Paul Ziemiak had presented his party’s election campaign and the associated posters on Tuesday – including the one with the apparently policewoman. Because of the restrictions and hygiene standards, no models or purchased pictures were used for the photos, rather they worked with employees and members of the CDU, it said. The posters should be pasted and put up with the start of postal voting in mid-August.

The CDU advertises itself with the slogan “Do Germany together”. The central element of the campaign for the federal election is the so-called “Union Circle” as a “strong symbol of solidarity,” said Ziemiak. “We bring people together.” In the coming months, party leader Armin Laschet wants to attract votes with a large-scale summer tour. The Union is also planning “theme weeks”, in which they will each deal with a specific political topic broadly, as Ziemiak said. The CDU will spend a little more than 20 million euros on the election campaign – that’s about as much as in the previous elections. (07.07.2021)

Merz calls on CDU members to leave the values ​​union

The CDU economic politician Friedrich Merz has called on the CDU members to leave the conservative values ​​union. “I call on all CDU members to leave the so-called Union of Values ​​and to shape the future together in the CDU,” said Merz, who belongs to the election campaign team of CDU chairman Armin Laschet, the German press agency. The ex-Union faction leader attacked the new chairman of the Union of Values, the economist Max Otte, sharply.

Otte “apparently doesn’t know the difference between lobbying and professional activity as a lawyer and supervisory board,” said Merz. Otte had said at the weekend that Merz was burdened by his previous lobbying activities and should “not take over a state office, even if the lobbying activity is dormant”. Merz was formerly chairman of the supervisory board for Germany of the US asset manager Blackrock. The mandate ended on March 31, 2020 – so it’s not just dormant. Merz said: “The unqualified envelopes from Mr. Otte should give the members of this self-proclaimed union of values ​​something to think about.”

After the controversial election of Otte, the Union of Values ​​shows ever stronger signs of disintegration. Members of various state boards resigned in protest at Otte’s course. The former chairman of the Values ​​Union, Alexander Mitsch, announced his departure on Monday. “Mr. Otte is not in a position to continue the original idea of ​​the Union of Values,” Mitsch told the German press agency. “Mr Otte’s envelopes led to my resignation.” Mitsch was one of the founding fathers of the Values ​​Union and had headed it for four years. He can imagine that he will join a new platform where members of the Union of Values ​​who have resigned could come together.

Critics accuse Otte of moving the Union of Values ​​to the right and wanting to open up to the AfD. Otte reacted calmly and, according to his own statements, assumes that the Union of Values ​​will emerge stronger from this process. The Values ​​Union sees itself as a representative of the conservative current in the Union, but is not an official party division. According to its own information, its membership is more than 4,000 – including, however, members without a CDU party book. (05.07.2021)

Eco-party “Klimaliste” becomes active nationwide

The “Climate List” party, which was previously only active at the local and state level, now also wants to get involved at the federal level. The activists officially announced the founding of the federal party at a press conference in Berlin. According to their own statements, they had already launched the federal party on June 19 in Leipzig. Scientists also joined them.

The party’s core theme at the regional level is a more determined fight against climate change and compliance with the 1.5-degree target based on the Paris Agreement. This puts it in competition with the Greens. They are calling for CO₂ pricing of at least 195 euros per ton, while the Greens are targeting 60 euros per ton from 2023. Now the climate list wants to set up direct candidates nationwide.

According to the company’s own information, the climate list is now represented in all 16 federal states. Most recently, the candidates also stood in the state elections in Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg and Saxony-Anhalt. In all three federal states, however, they clearly missed the five percent hurdle for entry into the state parliament, in Saxony-Anhalt the climate list came to around 0.1 percent of the vote. (02.07.2021)

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