CDA-Chef expresses dissatisfaction with CDU’s ministerial selection
The selection of ministers has caused dissatisfaction among the employee wing of the CDU, the Christian Democratic Employees (CDA). CDA Chief Dennis Radtke expressed his displeasure to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, stating, “I have only known a federal government without the participation of the CDA in times when the CDU was in opposition.” He added, “It is bewildering and wrong that no representative of the Christian-social roots of our party is part of the cabinet – this has never happened from Adenauer to Merkel.”
Radtke, who became the CDA’s federal chairman in 2024, criticized the lack of diversity in content and minds, which, in his opinion, led to a result that was far below expectations and opportunities. He emphasized that the deficiencies in the social profile have been with the CDU for many years, resulting in a public perception of the party as cold and unsocial, despite the fact that the social state was shaped by Christian democrats.
The CDA chief emphasized that in order to remain a people’s party, it is not enough to merely claim diversity – it must also be lived. He expressed his dream of achieving the success of Helmut Kohl’s era, which was characterized by the broadness that brought the Union significant gains. He warned that transforming the CDU into a purely bourgeois-conservative party would inevitably lead to even lower election results, such as 30 plus x becoming an illusion.
Radtke pointed out that in Angela Merkel’s cabinets, there were also representatives from the CDA, such as Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Peter Altmaier and Ursula von der Leyen. In recent weeks, there were also speculations that the North Rhine-Westphalian labor minister and former CDA chief Karl-Josef Laumann could become the federal health minister. However, the position will now be taken over by Nina Warken, a Bundestag representative.
CDU Chief Friedrich Merz presented the party’s ministerial list in the CDU-Präsidium in the morning. According to the list, Johann Wadephul will take over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Karin Prien will be the Federal Minister of Education, Thorsten Frei will be the Federal Minister of the Chancellery, Katherina Reiche will oversee the Ministry of Economics and Patrick Schnieder will be in charge of the Ministry of Transportation. The new Minister for Digitalization and State Modernization will be Karsten Wildberger, the former CEO of the Ceconomy AG. Nina Warken will be the Federal Minister of Health.