One hundred days before the German federal elections, party chairman and chancellor candidate Armin Laschet presented the CDU/CSU election program. The Christian Democrats emphasize that Germany must modernize to adapt to a rapidly changing world, but radical proposals are noticeably absent.
CDU/CSU, currently leading the polls with around 28%, is the last major German party to present its manifesto ahead of the September 26 elections. According to German commentators, the election program is primarily aimed at CDU/CSU’s older electorate, of whom 40% are over 60 years old.
One of the key election promises is that taxes will not rise, though the financial section lacks funding for significant reforms in the agricultural sector. There is also no proposal for new environmental and climate policies. The party has lost support among German farmers over the past year and now promises to curb large-scale industrial farming.
“We want to free agriculture from the hamster wheel of permanent efficiency increases,” the program states. Armin Laschet also wants the EU to lift the ban on wolf hunting in farming areas to protect grazing livestock.
In foreign affairs, the German Christian Democrats take a more dismissive stance towards Russia and China, but no special positions are taken on international trade and the global economy.
The election program will serve as a basis for negotiations to form a possible coalition government after the elections. CDU/CSU is the favorite in the polls, with a slight lead over the Greens. Many observers expect that multiple coalitions will be possible after the elections, both with left-wing and right-wing partners.
The party emerging as the largest in the September vote will also have the right to nominate a candidate to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel.