A strong opponent of the “traffic light” coalition since becoming leader of the party and parliamentary group in 2021, Merz’s program is radically opposed to that of the SPD on all points except pensions, and to that of the Greens except on foreign policy issues.
Embodying the right wing of the CDU for several decades, Merz is seeking to counter the rise of the AfD with an economically liberal and socially conservative program. But this expected victory comes against an extremely difficult context for the future government, whoever it may be. Numerous issues, in particular immigration, the country’s economic weakness, the debt crisis and the Ukrainian crisis, will determine both the CDU’s campaign and its margin for maneuver if it returns to power. This election is set to be one of the most ideologically polarized in years and the formation of future coalitions with the SPD or the Green Party will undoubtedly be extremely difficult.
About the Author
Martin Baloge holds a PhD in political science from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and is a lecturer at the Catholic University of Lille within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (Laboratory MUSE). He recently published ‘Life and Death of the Wealth Tax: Struggles for Interest Representation in the National Assembly and the Bundestag’ (Éditions de la Maison des sciences de l’Homme, 2022) and ‘Politics in Germany’ (Éditions La Découverte, 2024).