The General Secretary of the CDU, Carsten Linnemann, has expressed concern over a potential massive exodus of members amid increasing dissatisfaction within the party. This report comes from “Bild” based on information from high-ranking circles within the CDU.
According to the report, Linnemann addressed the CDU Executive Committee last Monday, warning of numerous departures this year. He calculated a potential decline totaling tens of thousands of members. If current trends continue, Linnemann reportedly suggested that the CDU could lose 50,000 members by the end of the current legislative period.
While Linnemann declined to comment on the forecast for the newspaper, party circles indicated that the figure represents a highly calculated “worst-case” scenario. Nevertheless, it is being acknowledged internally that the current decline is linked to both the unpopular federal government and the leadership of Friedrich Merz (CDU). Furthermore, 2026 has also proven to be another poor year regarding membership statistics.
This negative development marks a noticeable shift from the previous year. In 2024, the CDU experienced a surge, logging over 20,000 new members and surpassing the SPD to become the largest political party by membership count. This recent success was attributed partly to Merz, who successfully galvanized the party as the opposition leader against the ruling coalition.
