Dennis Radtke, head of the CDU’s social wing, cautioned delegates at the Christian Democratic Party conference against holding a leadership debate ahead of the forthcoming re‑election of Chancellor Friedrich Merz as party chairman. He told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” that a leadership debate would be “useless” in the face of widespread dissatisfaction within the party with both the chancellor and the coalition.
When asked whether he expected a spoiler for Merz at this Friday’s board election, Radtke replied that he did not. “The CDU is a very disciplined party” he said. “It serves no purpose to cool the top echelons of the leadership out of a whim. That kind of action would look better on other parties than on the CDU”.
