Former Hessian Minister-President Volker Bouffier criticized CDU Chairman and Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, stating that Merz is “a victim of his own announcement policy”. According to Bouffier, the attempt to dramatically change the CDU’s approach was a mistake. While this effort successfully heightened expectations among some members, it simultaneously alienated those who appreciated the party’s track record of governing.
Bouffier noted that after many years in coalition politics and extensive compromises, the CDU experienced a period like “overpressure” after Angela Merkel’s departure. This led to a misunderstanding that being “CDU pur” was synonymous with a desire for programmatic purity-a concept, however, that does not work for governing. He stressed that the CDU’s identity must always include its capacity for governance. Bouffier argued that to run a country, one must be willing to compromise; judging success solely by the implementation of an election platform is flawed. He concluded that a party that fails to understand compromise is best positioned in the opposition, suggesting that declaring an “Autumn of Reforms” was, at the very least, “negligent”.
Dennis Radtke, Chair of the Christian Democratic Trades Union (CDA), echoed this criticism of the party leadership’s direction. Radtke pointed out that the “CDU pur” narrative, promoted both before and after the 2025 election campaign, fell short of achieving even 30 percent of the popular vote, and that the Union is currently polling worse than ever. Radtke reminded listeners that the founding understanding of the Union hinges on its ability to be both broadly encompassing and conservative. He asserted that the party’s core brand strength is not its conservatism, but rather its “Christian understanding of humanity”. For decades, the CDU’s secret to success has been its ability to unite varied perspectives, such as those represented by the CDA or the Mittelstandsvereinigung MIT. Radtke summarized this by stating that, by its very nature, “the Union is a compromise machine”.
