Herbert Reul, the Minister of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia (CDU), is calling for unity within his party following the historic electoral defeat suffered by members in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Speaking to the “Rheinische Post”, Reul stated: “I do not want to beat around the bush: these results are very bitter. This is no longer an industrial accident; it is a dramatic warning signal for the entire party, and for all democratic parties.”
He cautioned against the impulse to assign blame to one another, emphasizing that citizens are not concerned with who is at fault. Instead, the public is focused on whether the state is fulfilling its obligations: whether they are safe, whether rules are enforced, and whether they can rely on authorities. Reul noted that when people feel that politics talks too much and acts too little, they begin to withdraw their support.
According to Reul, the party must avoid becoming frantic or losing itself in internal personnel disputes. “The answer now is simply: solve problems. You only regain trust when you deliver reliably, day after day,” he argued. He urged all members of the CDU to stand united behind the federal government to rebuild confidence in the regions they represent.
