
AI-generated summary
The CDU suffered a historic loss in the state elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on September 20th and is no longer represented in the state parliament for the first time. Shortly afterwards, the media reported on possible cooperation between CDU MPs and the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt, which intensified the internal debate about the firewall against right-wing extremists.
The state elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on September 20th dealt the CDU a severe blow. “A drastic experience,” says CDU executive committee member Karl-Josef Laumann. The CDU is no longer represented in the state parliament in Schwerin. A wake-up call, as Laumann sees it, for him and the entire CDU. The party initially watched paralyzed as its poll numbers dwindled, and then this: Get out of parliament - it's the first time in history.
It's about the firewall
A few days later, the CDU was shocked and deeply disturbed to see that the party in Saxony-Anhalt was crumbling. It cannot be ruled out that some of their representatives elected a right-wing extremist as President of the State Parliament and another as Vice President of the State Parliament. And so the CDU's meeting is about the crucial question: How does the party feel about the AfD?
For party leader Merz, this is actually a crystal clear matter. He has repeatedly assured us that his party will not cooperate with the AfD. In December 2021, as designated CDU leader, he announced that anyone who worked with the AfD would be excluded from the party. He may still be judged on this.
Not everyone follows suit, but Merz is persistent
Because not everyone follows the CDU chairman. Disappointment and frustration have eroded cohesion in the party. Perplexity runs through the party like knotweed, and Friedrich Merz is fighting against a rapid loss of authority. But: He is persistent and practices steadfastness. Eight CDU prime ministers have already publicly declared that they support the Chancellor - this includes Hendrik Wüst from North Rhine-Westphalia. Like others, he believes it is wrong to have personnel debates and is counting on a federal government that works and implements the announced reforms. Merz is the right person for this.
And Merz wants to look ahead and talk to his executive committee at the meeting about the political priorities of the coming months. This is what he wrote in the invitation to the members of the Executive Board. But Merz's deputies and the prime ministers are also likely to announce their own need for discussions.
What's next in Saxony-Anhalt?
What happened in Saxony-Anhalt, and above all: what’s next? Will CDU MPs possibly elect AfD man Ulrich Siegmund as Prime Minister in a secret ballot? In that case, Merz would probably have to seek expulsion from the party, as he once promised. Assuming he can identify the renegades. But it shouldn't even get that far.
Mario Voigt, member of the executive committee and Prime Minister of Thuringia, has high expectations of the exam. He demands a new start in terms of content. The CDU leadership must discuss how life can become affordable again for people.
And Karl-Josef Laumann, one of the deputy party leaders, also wants to use the wake-up call from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to talk about the CDU's general course. "I believe that if the Union wants to become a people's party again, it has to take a lot of care of the people who earn below average, what their life reality is like in this country."
The fall of a people's party
The reality of life for the CDU is - one might say - threatened. The once proud People's Party has slipped 20 percentage points in the nationwide polls, and in some it is even lower. The issue of justice plays an important role for voters. They don't feel seen by the CDU. Expect that their living conditions will be taken into account in the reforms.
And Merz? He's been trying to be optimistic for some time now, after all, he says, there are so many positive things in this country. Also because the economy is slowly growing again.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The CDU will initiate party expulsion proceedings against MPs who are said to have cooperated with the AfD.
Possible · Within weeks
At the meeting, the CDU will decide on a new start that focuses on social justice and affordable living.
Likely · Within days

The CDU is in a deep crisis: poor election results, record-low poll numbers for Chancellor Merz and tense coalition sentiment are weighing on the party. Before the presidential retreat, CSU leader Horst Seehofer sharply criticized Merz for broken election promises, especially on tax cuts, and accused him of a massive loss of credibility. Merz's statements about work ethic in Germany are also met with rejection in Bavaria because they ignore the reality of employees who want to work more but receive termination contracts.

The CDU is meeting for a leadership retreat to react to the heavy election defeats in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin. Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz is under pressure as the party discusses the consequences of content, strategic direction and cooperation with the SPD and the Left.
The CDU is calling on the SPD to throw Gerhard Schröder out of the party because of his visit to Vladimir Putin. SPD members express skepticism about a new party expulsion process, while critics describe Schröder's behavior as morally disturbing.
Former Left Party leader Dietmar Bartsch has rejected criticism from around 120 party members of the agreement between the Berlin Left, the Greens and the SPD on how to deal with anti-Semitism. He emphasized that the critics had no coalition experience and mainly came from the West, and warned against instrumentalizing the issue in connection with the Berlin election results.

The average duration of asylum claims proceedings before German administrative courts rose to 15.3 months in the first half of 2025, after 14.3 months in the previous year. Saxony has the longest procedure duration at 20.4 months, while Rhineland-Palatinate decides the fastest at 9.2 months. The increase is attributed to higher case numbers, complex countries of origin and a deteriorating human rights situation in countries such as Iran, Russia, Afghanistan and Turkey. At the same time, the BAMF is processing asylum applications slightly faster than in the previous year.

In Berlin, the Left, the Greens and the SPD could form a coalition, with explorations set to start soon. The non-party Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer, who is close to the CDU, is calling on the SPD leadership to prevent a red-green-red alliance, otherwise he would see this as a vote of no confidence in the federal government. SPD General Secretary Tim Klüssendorf rejects this and criticizes the Union for possible cooperation with right-wing extremists in Saxony-Anhalt. Green Party politician Omid Nouripour also warns of the left as a security risk due to anti-Semitic incidents and criminal contacts.