The General Secretary of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Carsten Linnemann, has firmly rejected any prospect of normalizing relations with the Left Party (Die Linke). In statements to the Funke Media Group’s Saturday editions, Linnemann argued that the Left Party has consistently failed to sufficiently distance itself from radical ideologies.
He specifically highlighted a concerning rise in antisemitic tendencies within the party, stating that this, coupled with a commitment to socialism, is fundamentally at odds with the CDU’s values. Linnemann reaffirmed the party’s existing “unvereinbarkeitsbeschluss” – a resolution barring cooperation with both the AfD and the Left Party.
Turning to current fiscal policy, Linnemann expressed skepticism regarding an agreement reached between the CDU/CSU, SPD and Green Party to reform Germany’s debt brake. He noted that any such reform would require a two-thirds majority in the Bundestag, potentially necessitating votes from the Left Party or the AfD. He cautioned that a reform is not yet guaranteed, emphasizing that the findings of the commission currently reviewing the matter remain unknown and that the Union sees no inherent need to alter the existing debt brake.
Regarding the recent and initially stalled, process of selecting Federal Constitutional Court judges, Linnemann struck a more optimistic tone. The Union unexpectedly withdrew its support for a candidate during the first round of voting. He expressed confidence that a candidate will ultimately secure the necessary broad parliamentary majority, though he did not elaborate on how such a two-thirds majority would be achieved. He did, however, reiterate that no conversations would be held with the AfD.
The selection of judges to the Federal Constitutional Court involves a complex voting dynamic. With 16 judges selected equally by the Bundestag and Bundesrat, a two-thirds majority is required in both chambers. Traditionally, parties large enough to influence the outcome have informally agreed to a distribution key based on parliamentary size. However, given the current parliamentary arithmetic – with the CDU/CSU, SPD, Greens and FDP lacking a combined two-thirds majority – securing the necessary votes now requires support from either the Left Party or the AfD.