March 27, 2025 (EIRNS)—Friedrich Merz’s breach of several key election promises has sparked great resentment in his own party, as well as elsewhere. There is widespread dissatisfaction and frustration in the party’s structures, down to the municipal level. The current expression of this is the almost-complete withdrawal of the CDU city association of Kühlungsborn from the party.
The 18 members of the city association cite the abandonment of the debt brake, and the inclusion of Germany’s climate neutrality as a national goal in the Basic Law as reasons for their resignation. In the resignation letter, which is published on the CDU Kühlungsborn website, they write:
“The debt brake is in the CDU’s DNA. The current amendment to the constitution has effectively repealed it. This is not a ‘special fund', but additional debt amounting to 1 trillion euros—with serious consequences for our country.
“In addition, the inclusion in the constitution of a commitment to achieve climate neutrality by 2045 has finally crossed the line for us. Political objectives of this magnitude do not belong in the constitution, but in democratic debate.”
