Home Europe Kramp-Karrenbauer survives party turbulence, for now

Kramp-Karrenbauer survives party turbulence, for now

by editor

LEIPZIG, Germany — AKK did it again.

A year after Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer came from behind to seize the leadership of Germany’s Christian Democrats with a rousing speech at a party convention, she once again relied on her rhetorical talents to win over the room, securing a reprieve from delegates at the conservatives’ annual congress following a lackluster first year that prompted questions over her suitability for the role.

In a 90-minute rollercoaster speech that veered from the compelling to the mundane and back again, Kramp-Karrenbauer, or AKK as she is widely known, analyzed the party’s woes and outlined her vision for Germany’s future. She also hit back at CDU critics of Angela Merkel’s government, complaining that their rhetorical assaults had further sapped support for the party.

While there was no formal ballot at the convention, Kramp-Karrenbauer surprised delegates at the end of her marathon address by offering to “end things here and now” if they didn’t share her vision for Germany’s future. They responded with a nearly 8-minute-long standing ovation that left no doubt about their support (or fear of the alternative) — at least for the time being.

“The applause shows that today is not the end, Annegret, but the point when things will really get going,” Michael Kretschmer, the premier of Saxony and host of the convention, told her after the address.

Most observers attribute the Christian Democrats’ woes to a combination of factors, from lingering anger over Merkel’s open-door refugee policy during the influx in 2015 to frustration over the stasis of the party’s current governing coalition with the Social Democrats.

It was clear from the moment Kramp-Karrenbauer took over as party chair last year that a rocky road lay ahead. She won the job in a close ballot against Friedrich Merz, an old-line conservative with strong support from the right of the party.

And though Merkel, who was pressured to give up the position, backed her for the job, it was clear that Kramp-Karrenbauer would have difficulty escaping the shadow of the woman who had held the post for 18 years and remains both Germany’s most powerful and most liked politician.

To make matters worse, the Christian Democrats’ electoral slide continued after she took over, as the party lost substantial ground in a string of regional elections.

The party has garnered just 25 percent in recent national polls, a far cry from the 40 percent it received just a few years ago.

Most observers attribute the Christian Democrats’ woes to a combination of factors, from lingering anger over Merkel’s open-door refugee policy during the influx in 2015 to frustration over the stasis of the party’s current governing coalition with the Social Democrats.

German Chancellor and former leader of the German Christian Democrats Angela Merkel | Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Nonetheless, as party leader, Kramp-Karrenbauer can’t escape some responsibility. She’s also made her share of missteps, from a gaffe about gender-neutral bathrooms to sending conflicting signals on migration policy.

In an effort to shore up her public image, Kramp-Karrenbauer, who previously insisted she intended to focus on running the party and didn’t want a ministerial portfolio, decided over the summer to take the position of defense minister vacated by incoming European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

She’s had a rough start. After the U.S. decided to withdraw from Syria last month, Kramp-Karrenbauer suggested Germany work with allies to set up a “security zone” to protect the local population in the war-torn country. Though her intentions were noble, she lacked a clear plan on how to undertake such a mission. In risk-averse Germany, where most remain skeptical of military engagement, the proposal was panned and critics accused Kramp-Karrenbauer of being both incompetent and naïve.

The challenger

The controversies opened the door for Merz and others to challenge her authority behind the scenes, sparking a debate over who should be the party’s candidate for chancellor in two years’ time and whether party members should elect a candidate.

The CDU’s tradition has been to nominate the party leader as chancellor candidate. In the run-up to the congress, Kramp-Karrenbauer insisted she would lead the discussion over who gets to run, adding that it was a decision the party wouldn’t make until next year’s convention. The next election is scheduled for the fall of 2021.

Though Merz, a former senior CDU official whose political career was cut short by Merkel’s ascent in the early 2000s, holds no formal party office, he retains strong backing among arch conservatives who believe Merkel has taken the party too far to the center, making it virtually indistinguishable from the Social Democrats on policy.

The frustration has manifested itself with the recent emergence of splinter groups within the CDU, one that calls itself the “Values Union,” which advocates more right-wing policies, and another known as the “Union of the Center,” which supports Merkel’s course.

Indeed, the CDU’s success over the years — it has led the German government for longer than any other party — has rested on its broad appeal.

Kramp-Karrenbauer, whose centrist political views align closely with Merkel’s, has tried to bridge the divisions since she took over. She organized an open discussion earlier this year, for example, on the government’s handling of the refugee crisis in 2015, an effort to heal the wounds over Merkel’s migration policies, which many rank-and-file members opposed.

In her speech on Friday, Kramp-Karrenbauer stressed that while she may have been elected by only 51 percent of the delegates, she represents the entire party and didn’t want to be pigeonholed.

“There isn’t Values Union or a Union of the Center, there’s just one union of values, the Christian Democratic Union,” she said to loud applause.

Indeed, the CDU’s success over the years — it has led the German government for longer than any other party — has rested on its broad appeal.

The question is whether trying to being all things to all people can work in an age of growing political polarization.

Lofty goals

Kramp-Karrenbauer gave no hint she would abandon the strategy.

While she spent much of her speech diagnosing what ails Germany, from its slowness to embrace digital innovations to the myriad challenges it faces to maintain competitiveness, she also peppered her remarks with lofty goals. Her central aspiration: “prosperity for all,” a slogan that harkened to the party’s postwar glory days during the so-called “economic miracle” that delivered West Germany from the rubble of World War II into an age of wealth and stability.

Following the powerful response to her speech, Merz, who some observers believed might challenge her head on, had no choice but to fall into line.

In his own remarks to the convention, he praised Kramp-Karrenbauer’s speech as “feisty and courageous.”

Despite the support Kramp-Karrenbauer received on Friday she’s hardly out of the woods. Even those in the party who don’t view her as a viable chancellor candidate want her to remain as leader in the near term. Pushing her out now would risk triggering a crisis that could cripple the party.

That dynamic was not lost on Merz, who underscored the need for the CDU’s leadership to address the concerns of the conservative wing to foster party unity. Perhaps more worrying for Kramp-Karrenbauer, Merz, who recently described Merkel’s government as “miserable,” also signaled that he intended to remain engaged in the effort to renew the party.

“We’re at the beginning of this process, not the end,” he said.

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