CDU begins policy review after series of heavy election defeats
Party leaders discuss social reforms, confidence and relations with the AfD in Berlin.
Follow-up to: CDU leadership seeks way out of crisis for Merz Sunday, 11 October 2026, 03:44
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The presidium of Germany’s CDU began a private two-day meeting in Berlin on Sunday to discuss the recent election defeats. Party leader and Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz is under pressure to formulate a new political direction.
The meeting follows losses in state elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the CDU failed to win any seats in parliament for the first time, according to Tagesschau. The party suffered a sharp setback in Saxony-Anhalt, while in Berlin it finished behind Die Linke.
The defeats have accelerated the debate over the party’s national direction. According to the party leadership, the CDU wants to regain trust without abandoning Germany’s planned modernisation. General Secretary Franziska Hoppermann described Sunday’s meeting as the beginning of a longer process, not a one-off solution.
Sebastian Lechner, CDU chairman in Lower Saxony, told NDR that the results were a clear warning. In his view, it is not enough simply to make the party’s communication more emotional. According to Lechner, reforms must be combined with relief from financial burdens, because energy and food have become too expensive for many people.
Merz’s position is also being discussed. Lechner expects no simple continuation along the same lines and is calling on the Federal Chancellor to present a clear plan. Karl-Josef Laumann, one of the deputy party leaders, said according to Tagesschau that the CDU must once again pay attention to people on lower incomes.
A second area of tension concerns relations with the AfD. Some CDU politicians want to apply the so-called firewall against cooperation less strictly, particularly to individual policy proposals. Other party members remain committed to the existing ban on cooperation and warn that opening the door would undermine the CDU’s identity.
The outcome of the talks is not yet known. The party leadership must address several problems at once: voters who see reforms as threatening, business leaders calling for economic support and members who fear that the CDU is losing ground to the AfD. The question is whether Merz can turn these into a single narrative without deepening internal divisions.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The CDU is discussing the consequences of three recent election defeats.
- The party leadership links the meeting to confidence, reforms and modernisation.
- There is disagreement within the CDU over how to deal with the AfD.
Left
Arguments The CDU should place social protection and affordability at the centre and clearly distance itself from the AfD. In this view, a course focused mainly on implementing spending cuts or pursuing culture-war issues would increase uncertainty.
Values Solidarity, social equality and the protection of democratic institutions.
Consequences Greater social compensation could restore trust, but could clash with budgetary discipline and economic reforms.
Centre
Arguments The party should pursue reforms while visibly compensating households for their consequences. The institutional line is: no cooperation with the AfD, while persuading voters who are moving to that party through substantive arguments.
Values Governability, compromise and the preservation of democratic boundaries.
Consequences A gradual course could hold the coalition and party together, but might not offer voters enough distinction.
Right
Arguments The CDU should take a tougher stance on migration, security and the economy, and should not automatically treat every AfD vote as taboo. In this view, the firewall has politically constrained the party.
Values Order, national responsibility and political competition.
Consequences A more open stance could win back some voters, but could distance the CDU from its centrist position and coalition options.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
NDR and Tagesschau have confirmed the current meeting, the election losses and the publicly expressed positions. The text makes clear which outcome has not yet been settled.
- confirmed The CDU presidium began a two-day meeting in Berlin on Sunday. — NDR and Tagesschau report the meeting on Sunday and Monday. source
- confirmed The CDU lost elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin. — Tagesschau describes the three recent state elections and the losses. source
- confirmed The CDU failed to enter parliament in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. — Tagesschau calls this the first time in the party’s history there. source
- confirmed Lechner called for reforms combined with relief from financial burdens. — This was stated in the NDR interview of 11 October. source
- confirmed There is debate within the CDU over the firewall against the AfD. — Tagesschau describes opposing positions within the party. source
Editor's note
NDR directly reported the start of the two-day closed-door meeting and the statements by Lechner and Hoppermann. The internal debate over the AfD is based on Tagesschau; no final decision by the presidium was known at the time of publication.Sources
The story so far
- Saturday, 10 October 2026, 17:48 CDU debates course after AfD gains
- Sunday, 11 October 2026, 03:44 CDU leadership seeks way out of crisis for Merz
- Sunday, 11 October 2026, 10:52 Seehofer puts pressure on Merz ahead of CDU meeting
- Sunday, 11 October 2026, 23:27 CDU begins policy review after series of heavy election defeats (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- NU.nl — „duitsland cdu”
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- AD — „duitsland cdu”