CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann has indicated he is contemplating a future beyond his political career. In an interview with Funke Mediengruppe, Linnemann stated he “never entered politics with the intention of doing so for life”. He expressed a desire to eventually retire from a different profession rather than leaving politics.
When questioned about a potential candidacy for Chancellor in five years, Linnemann declined to speculate. He anticipates that current CDU leader Friedrich Merz will seek re-election in 2029. However, Linnemann reiterated that becoming Chancellor was never his personal ambition and he intends to pursue other endeavors in the future, though he did not elaborate on these plans.
Linnemann revealed that on the evening of the February federal election, in which the CDU underperformed, he considered stepping down. He suggested that the entry of Sahra Wagenknecht’s BSW party into parliament would have likely led to a coalition resembling the “Kenya Coalition” – a potential three-way alliance between the Greens, SPD and BSW. He expressed skepticism about a policy shift within such a coalition and indicated he would have felt compelled to inform Merz that he could not support the direction he had advocated for as party manager in that scenario. He felt it would have become “unbelievable” for him to continue in his current role. The BSW party narrowly failed to clear the 5% threshold to enter parliament.
Linnemann identified his 2011 vote against the expansion of the Euro bailout as his most difficult decision as a young parliamentarian, a move that challenged the majority of the CDU/CSU coalition led by then-Chancellor Angela Merkel. In contrast, he stated that his decision not to remain as Economics Minister in the black-red coalition was not a difficult one.