.Germany: CDU & CSU team up to clip Schulz’ rise
At a meeting in Munich, the executive committees of the CDU and the
CSU have largely demonstrated unanimity and the willingness to close
the ranks behind Chancellor Merkel in the imminent election campaign
after months of tension over Merkel’s refugee policy.
The meeting is meant as the start signal of a joint campaign which aims
at keeping Chancellor Merkel in office and preventing a “left republic”,
the term the CSU uses to describe a coalition among the SPD, the Left
and the Greens.
As an anchor for a common campaign a joint election platform shall be
launched. The platform is likely to focus on external and internal security,
(income) tax reductions, support for families, prosperity and jobs and
European policy.
The Bavarian CSU, however, will stick to its demand for an upper limit on
migration of 200,000 p.a. As a major element of its own complementary
platform for Bavaria, weakening the signal of unanimity at a time when
the SPD is surging in polls.
EU Forecast
euf:ba18.d:117/nws-01