Daniel Peters, the leading CDU candidate in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, stated that the national policies pursued under his party chairman and federal chancellor, Friedrich Merz, are currently hindering a focus on local issues during the upcoming state election campaign. Speaking to the news channel “Welt,” Peters commented that the current political climate is so charged that the election risks becoming solely about stopping the AfD, with national politics dominating the discussion. He emphasized that the focus must remain local: “It is not about national politics on September 20th.” He clarified that while Friedrich Merz is not running for the state office, he and the Union candidates in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are.
Peters announced that, in the coming weeks, he will deliberately downplay the presence of Friedrich Merz. Although Merz has participated in the campaign through two events in Rostock and Kühlungsborn, he noted that over the next two weeks, the campaign will strictly concentrate on regional political themes and the party’s own agenda.
The disappointing election results in Saxony-Anhalt have complicated matters, according to Peters. “We do not just have to acknowledge this result; we must critically evaluate it by ourselves. It applies to the Chancellor, it applies to all of us,” he said, suggesting the Union must collectively reflect on the loss. While acknowledging the damaging result, Peters dismissed the idea of a personnel debate at this stage. He believes the causes are deeply rooted and does not think Sven Schulze is responsible for the defeat, fundamentally rejecting any discussion about personnel. Instead, he pointed to national politics, asserting that the coalition partner needs to demonstrate a much firmer stance. He stressed the necessity of a genuine reform agenda, noting that the Union has always excelled with a clear economic policy, a path they must now continue to pursue.
Peters expressed hope that the coalition partner, the SPD, will not sabotage this reform approach. He warned that the Saxony-Anhalt results should not lead to the conclusion that reforms are unnecessary, stating, “We need better framework conditions for economic growth. Germany is at a crossroads. We must end deindustrialization, and that can only happen through tough reforms. And the SPD must understand that as well.” He expressed concern over what he described as “very strange signals” from the social democratic coalition partner, who now seemed inclined to question all the reforms developed over recent months. Peters stated that if the SPD were to be satisfied with the election result and use it to become even more confrontational against the CDU, it would be a mistake.
