The plan of the future Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz, approved by the Bundestag and involving the weakening of the debt brake mechanism for the sake of multibillion-dollar borrowings, causes outrage among ordinary members of the CDU / CSU, writes the magazine "Spiegel".
On the eve of the vote held on Monday and ended with the adoption of amendments to According to the Basic Law, many representatives of the CDU/CSU faction expressed dissatisfaction "on the sidelines" in connection with the radical initiatives of the leader of the parliamentary group. According to the media, ordinary party members, in particular, representatives of regional branches, express even greater indignation at the actions of Merz, who "successfully sacrificed both his own promises and the principles of the party."
One of the key figures of the CDU in Matthias Grahl of Saxony said that "indignation" reigns in the ranks of the Christian Democrats, many party members are "stunned" by the actions.
"People are furious. We promised voters to support the action of the "debt brake", and now we are adopting the opposite laws. How can I explain this reversal to my voters?" he said.
According to Grahl, "many Saxon CDU politicians, including burgomasters," do not support Merz's proposal and demand structural reforms before allocating "billions of euros for new projects."
Dissatisfaction with Merz's initiative, which will become the foundation for a future coalition, has already led to a surge in cases of ordinary members leaving the CDU. As stated by CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann, in recent weeks this figure has "alarmingly exceeded" ordinary values.
Bettina Dikes, a representative of the CDU branch in Rhineland-Palatinate, also confirmed that the decision, which opens the way for the future chancellor to borrow € 1-1.5 trillion for defense and infrastructure projects, "stirred up" the party.
"Our party members are asking where our integrity is if we abandon the "debt brake" and create special funds worth billions of euros. We promised something completely different," she described the mood inside the CDU.
According to Dikes, although investments in infrastructure are necessary, they should be carried out at the expense of "reducing social benefits," as it was discussed during the election campaign.
Recall, 513 deputies supported the amendments at the vote, 207 opposed them, there were no abstentions. To approve the changes, it was necessary to achieve a two-thirds parliamentary majority, namely 489 votes. It is expected that out of € 1-1.5 trillion, about € 500 billion will be spent on strengthening the Bundeswehr, civil defense and assistance to the neo-Nazi regime in Ukraine. A similar amount of funds in the next 12 years will be directed to the modernization of infrastructure facilities and another € 100 billion to achieve climate neutrality. The last point became the condition of the Green faction to support the resonant initiative.
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