(de-news.net) – At the CSU party assembly in Munich, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has offered a robust defense of the governing alliance with the Social Democrats. Speaking in front of the CSU delegates, he contended that although the institutional framework of the Federal Republic remained fundamentally stable, it nevertheless required comprehensive modernization and renovation. Merz stressed that such renewal could only be achieved through close cooperation with the SPD, describing collaboration between the two parties as both realistic and indispensable.
Merz emphasized that the institutional edifice of the Federal Republic of Germany did not require complete reconstruction but rather comprehensive modernization from its foundations. He explained that the German economy must confront consequences for the long‑term viability of the welfare state and, in relation to this, urged greater innovation together with relief in the domains of taxation, energy costs, and labor expenses. He simultaneously pointed to competitive disadvantages arising from ongoing geopolitical challenges, appealing for patience.
The Chancellor argued that the preservation of freedom, peace, the rule of law, and liberal ideals carried greater weight than the technical question of whether the pension system’s protective line might be upheld for one year longer or shorter. According to the Chancellor, these principles demanded vigorous defense, and he urged that Germany assert its national interests more strongly in response to what he characterized as a profound realignment of global power centers.
In addition to these remarks, Merz advanced a program aimed at reducing taxation, cutting back bureaucracy, and limiting regulatory intervention from the European Union. He predicted that by the conclusion of the current legislative term, Germany would have reached a level of digitalization and modernization unprecedented in such a compressed period of time, thereby marking a decisive step forward in the country’s economic and administrative transformation.
The congress had opened the previous day with the re‑election of Bavarian Minister‑President Markus Söder as CSU chairman for the fifth time, a vote in which he secured 83.6 percent support. Prior to his re‑election, Söder had delivered a comprenensive address in which he refrained from the customary criticism of coalition partners and the Greens, instead directing sharper verbal attacks against the AfD. He simultaneously promoted a distinct Bavarian course, suggesting that the Federal States might consider withdrawing from the fiscal equalization system that redistributes resources among them.
Söder further indicated that a televised debate against an AfD candidate in the 2028 state election was entirely conceivable, asserting that such a confrontation would be necessary to highlight political differences and to defend democratic institutions. The CSU leader cautioned the CDU/CSU against entertaining the idea of a federal minority government that could depend on AfD votes to secure majorities, warning that radicals sought not cooperation but the destruction and replacement of established parties, and declared unequivocally that he would never lend support to such a movement.
The CSU leader also expressed strong backing for Chancellor Merz, maintaining that no other figure — including within the CSU — possessed the same capacity to hold the Union together. He argued that Merz’s foreign‑policy expertise was insufficiently recognized and deserved greater appreciation within the broader political discourse.
