Former Chancellor and CDU leader Angela Merkel will be attending a CDU party conference for the first time since leaving office. According to her office, which informed the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” (Wednesday edition), she will attend the delegate meeting at the start of the conference in Stuttgart on February 20 as an honorary guest. The spokeswoman said Merkel would remain in the capital through the day of the leadership election on Friday but would not give a speech at all.
Her participation has been welcomed within the party. Dennis Radtke, head of the CDU’s Labour wing, told “Der Spiegel” that Merkel is “one of the defining figures of the CDU and of the country as a whole” and that her presence signals unity among Christian democrats especially in tough times. CDU parliamentarian Christoph Ploß added that Merkel’s appearance shows the party is “extremely united” and will fight together in the upcoming state elections in Baden‑Württemberg and Rhineland‑Palatinate. Pascal Reddig, chair of the Bundestag’s Young Group, remarked that her attendance is “completely fine and not very surprising” noting it is a positive sign that Merkel is re‑engaging with the party after a period of distance.
The party conference will take place at the end of the week in Stuttgart. Merkel had not participated in the CDU gatherings in 2022 and 2024 since her term as Chancellor ended.