The designated party chairman of the CDU, Friedrich Merz, has accused the FDP of broken election promises.
the essentials in brief
- Designated CDU chief: supplementary budget «the complete opposite» of the FDP promises.
“The FDP says goodbye to many of its election promises,” said Merz of “Bild am Sonntag”. The budget policy is “the complete opposite of what the FDP promised a few weeks ago.” The supplementary budget is “one of the biggest and most daring actions that we have seen in the last few decades”.
Merz reiterated his criticism of the reallocation of unused loans to fight the corona pandemic, which, according to the plans of the new government, should flow into climate protection and digitization. “Moving 60 billion euros in Corona aid to a budget that has nothing to do with Corona removes the debt brake of the Basic Law and is anything but solid budgetary policy,” said the CDU politician.
“Long before the next federal election,” Merz, who prevailed in a member’s decision on party chairmanship, wants to make the CDU the “strongest political force” in Germany again. “And of course it is my goal that the Union will appoint the Chancellor again from 2025.” To do this, the CDU “must first have a course again,” said Merz of “Bild am Sonntag”. «We want to be able to provide information on the major issues of our time. One of the few advantages of being in opposition is that you no longer have to compromise with a coalition partner. “
After his victory in the first membership decision in the party’s history, Merz is to be officially chosen as Armin Laschet’s successor at a party congress on January 21st and 22nd.
Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) defended the planned supplementary budget on Thursday at the first debate in the Bundestag as necessary support for the economy. Due to the uncertainty in the pandemic, many necessary investments were omitted, said Lindner.
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