A high-ranking official of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD), Matthias Miersch, is demanding clarity from the CDU’s chancellor candidate, Friedrich Merz, on how the party plans to finance its election promises, including tax cuts and increased defense spending, before the next TV debate on Sunday.
Miersch, the SPD’s general secretary, criticized Merz in an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt, saying that the CDU’s plans would create a 100-billion-euro hole in the budget and that Merz has not explained where the necessary funds would come from. Miersch questioned whether the CDU would cut spending in areas such as retirement, health insurance, or investments in the economy to make up for the shortfall.
Miersch is calling for a swift clarification from Merz, saying that the German people have a right to know the CDU’s true plans before the election. He is demanding that Merz makes a clean breast of the matter before the next TV debate, warning that if he does not, it will be clear that the CDU has a secret list of cuts that it is hiding from voters.