ruth901
“That’s why he can’t keep his promises.”Christian Lindner lectures Friedrich Merz
Friedrich Merz will speak to Christian Lindner in January 2025 – at that time he was still chairman of the Union faction and therefore head of the opposition.
picture alliance/dpa / Kay Nietfeld
As opposition leader, Friedrich Merz makes serious accusations against the then traffic light government. The CDU leader is now governing himself – and despite all the criticism, he is not delivering, says former finance minister and FDP leader Lindner.
Former Federal Finance Minister and FDP leader Christian Lindner sees Chancellor Friedrich Merz under massive pressure a year after taking office. As opposition leader, Merz underestimated “how coalitions with left-wing parties affect bourgeois politics,” Lindner told the “Rheinische Post”. “That’s why he can’t keep his promises.”
Merz's earlier criticism of the FDP because of its role in the traffic light government is now “coming back like a boomerang,” said Lindner. “Compared to the previous government, he has to explain higher debts, higher taxes and more bureaucracy.”
Lindner left it open whether Merz “could” become chancellor: “That’s still being decided.” At the same time, he referred to Merz's predecessor, who “despite all the deficits” had the courage to “wrest the turning point from Red-Green.” Lindner added that he hopes “that Friedrich Merz will seek such momentum.”
Lindner also expanded on economic policy: the economic substance is evaporating and deindustrialization is accelerating. “This is not only due to geopolitical conflicts, but also because of the disappointment that the economic turnaround is not happening,” he said.
The mood in the coalition is currently tense due to differences of opinion on various reforms and legislative proposals. Making matters worse is the poor economic situation and weak survey results for both the SPD and the CDU/CSU. The Union is now regularly behind the AfD in surveys, the Social Democrats were recently well behind the Greens at twelve percent in a Forsa survey and are only on a par with the Left Party.
Sources used: chr/AFP
