Angela Merkel urges CDU to follow Konrad Adenauer’s example after election losses

Following the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) failing to meet the five percent electoral threshold in northeastern Germany, former Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for the party to reflect on the lessons of Konrad Adenauer.

Speaking at an art exhibition in the Bundestag, Merkel addressed the party's recent electoral setbacks in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. She suggested that the CDU should emulate Adenauer’s approach of building bridges across different societal divides. She noted that for Adenauer, a party like the CDU should draw from conservative, liberal, and Christian-social roots to connect employers with workers, urban and rural areas, and various generations.

Merkel emphasized that in the current political climate, these bridges must also extend to people with and without migrant backgrounds. She stated that the ambition of a people's party should be to reach out to all citizens while remaining aware of its own values.