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Tag: Christian Democratic Union

  • Veteran German state leader steps down ahead of election as AfD looms

    Germany’s longest-serving state premier is stepping down on Tuesday ahead of a crucial election later this year that could see the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) make unprecedented gains.

    Reiner Haseloff, from Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has served as leader of the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt since 2011.

    The 71-year-old was set to chair his 733rd and final Cabinet meeting on Tuesday before making way for his chosen successor Sven Schulze, who is to be sworn in at the state parliament in Magdeburg on Wednesday.

    Haseloff’s retirement is intended to boost the CDU’s chances of holding on to power after the state holds elections on September 6 by giving Schulze an opportunity to enjoy an incumbency advantage.

    But the incoming premier faces an uphill battle amid a surge in support for the anti-immigrant AfD, whose chapter in the state is under investigation by intelligence services as a “confirmed” right-wing extremist organization.

    The latest poll in Saxony-Anhalt from October had the party at 40%, putting it within reach of an absolute majority in what would be a historic first for the party.

    The AfD – Germany’s largest opposition party following national elections last year – has proved especially successful in the former East Germany, where economic development and opportunities still lag behind the former West.

    The party won a state election for the first time in neighbouring Thuringia in 2024, but was unable to form a government after other parties refused to form coalitions with it – a policy known in Germany as the “firewall.”

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  • German conservative party calls for better monitoring of Baltic Sea

    The conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) party in Germany is calling for “comprehensive” surveillance of the entire Baltic Sea in response to what it describes as growing threats, according to a policy paper seen by dpa.

    The draft paper says that increasing attacks on subsea cables in the Baltic Sea, some allegedly carried out by Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, are unacceptable.

    It calls for improved real-time monitoring and proposes creating a “transparent Baltic Sea” through the use of advanced technologies and artificial intelligence. Unmanned underwater drones would patrol along critical infrastructure, supported by extensive sensor networks, the document says.

    The paper is due to be adopted next week at a retreat of CSU members of parliament in Bavaria.

    The CSU, which only runs for election in the southern state of Bavaria and is the largest force there, is also part of the nationally governing coalition together with its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union, and the centre-left Social Democratic Party.

    Lawmaker calls for Europe’s strongest conventional army

    “Germany must take responsibility and provide the strongest conventional army in Europe so that, together with our alliance partners, we are ready for defence and capable of deterrence,” CSU parliamentary group leader Alexander Hoffmann told the Sunday edition of the Welt newspaper.

    The path to achieving that goal does not lie in the creation of a European army, Hoffmann said, but in closer integration of Europe’s national armed forces.

    “To do that, we must massively invest in our Bundeswehr, close capability gaps and gain technological sovereignty,” he said.

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  • Eastern German premier wants Russian energy after Ukraine war ends

    The premier of the eastern German state of Saxony is calling for energy to be sourced from Russia again after the end of the war in Ukraine.

    “It must be in our interest to resume energy supplies from Russia after a ceasefire,” Michael Kretschmer told the Funke media group on Saturday.

    “Russia must be a trading partner again in the future – without us becoming dependent on it again.” Good economic relations also increase Germany’s security, he said.

    Kretschmer, who is from Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has repeatedly spoken out in favour of resuming Russian gas supplies when the war eventually ends. He has been criticized for this even from within the ranks of his own party.

    The European Union has imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Moscow over the war in Ukraine, now into its fourth winter.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has characterized the measures as economic warfare. He has repeatedly pointed out that Europe in particular is suffering as a result.

    Kretschmer said Germany “must also consider the sanctions against Russia from our own economic perspective.” German energy policy is leading to deindustrialization, he argued.

    Asked whether he felt threatened by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kretschmer replied that “Russia has attacked another country. Therefore, we must position ourselves to defend ourselves.”

    This can only be achieved if Germany is economically strong, he said.

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  • Alternative for Germany politician defends plans for Russia trip

    A European lawmaker for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) has defended his party’s plans for a trip to Russia against fierce criticism from mainstream parties.

    Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Hans Neuhoff told the Handelsblatt business newspaper in comments published on Saturday that the accusations that he was too close to the Russian government from two conservative politicians were “unqualified.”

    The criticism came from the general secretary of the Christian Social Union (CSU), Martin Huber, and a foreign policy politician from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Roderich Kiesewetter. The sister parties form Germany’s conservative bloc.

    “I am travelling to a congress organized by the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the topic of perspectives of relations between EU countries and BRICS countries, and I will also be giving a lecture there,” explained Neuhoff.

    Participants from the entire spectrum of BRICS countries and several EU countries are expected at the congress, according to Neuhoff. “Conservative bloc politicians who think we should ignore BRICS have understood nothing about geopolitics. They are leading Germany and Europe into isolation, not into a prosperous future,” Neuhoff said.

    The abbreviation BRICS stands for the initial five members of the group of emerging industrial nations: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

    The criticism specifically concerns a planned trip by Steffen Kotré and Rainer Rothfuss, both AfD members of the German lower house of parliament, or Bundestag, Saxony’s AfD state leader Jörg Urban and MEP Neuhoff to a political science conference in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

    The symposium is organized by the Institute of Europe and organizers from the Kremlin party United Russia. The event was held for the first time last year.

    Participants walk past banners of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) during the party’s state conference at the Stahlapalast in Brandenburg. Michael Bahlo/dpa

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  • Suspected Hamas member arrests spark German dual citizenship debate

    German conservative lawmaker Alexander Throm raised the question whether dual citizens convicted of terrorist acts on German soil should face easier revocation of their citizenship, following the arrest of three suspected Hamas operatives.

    Currently, German law allows citizenship to be stripped if someone joins a foreign terrorist organization, Throm told the Handelsblatt business newspaper. “There is no reason why this should not also apply to terror acts committed in Germany,” he said.

    The three suspects, including a naturalized Lebanese-born man and a naturalized Syrian-born man, were arrested in Berlin on Wednesday and are scheduled to appear before a judge on Thursday.

    Authorities say they acted as foreign operatives for Hamas, procuring an assault rifle, pistols and ammunition from Germany. The weapons were allegedly intended for attacks on Israeli or Jewish sites in Germany. They are said to have been procuring firearms and ammunition since at least the summer of 2025.

    Hamas denied any connection, calling the claims baseless and an attempt to “harm the movement’s reputation and distort the German people’s sympathy with our Palestinian people.”

    Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said a terrorist suspect known to security authorities with links to Hamas had entered the country several months ago. It had been unclear who, or which event or facility, the planned attacks were targeting.

    German authorities may revoke the citizenship of dual nationals involved in terrorist activities abroad to prevent their return and reduce potential security risks, as they fall outside the reach of the domestic justice system.

    Individuals engaged in such activities within Germany, however, remain subject to prosecution and punishment under the country’s criminal laws.

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