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‘Make Germany together’? How Merkel’s CDU missed the mark on election campaign launch

Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives launched their re-election campaign on Tuesday - but it didn't take long for critics of the Union to hijack the festivities.

Published: 7 July 2021 16:30 CEST
'Make Germany together'? How Merkel's CDU missed the mark on election campaign launch
The CDU at their campaign launch on June 6th. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Kay Nietfeld

We looked at how the party, whose candidate Armin Laschet is bidding to be the next chancellor when Merkel steps down, was crucified online – and what they were, perhaps, trying to achieve. 

‘Satire is dead’

The joint campaign, by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) parties, was meant to be a celebration of the start of a new era and pave the way for the Union’s re-election under new leadership. 

But it didn’t get quite the reception politicians were hoping for. 

“Satire is dead,” was the verdict of one Twitter user just a few hours after the fan-fare of the Union’s (CDU/CSU’s) re-election campaign launch on Tuesday.

He was referring to one of the party’s new campaign posters, which depicted 60-year old CDU leader Laschet, clad in a very traditional suit and tie, staring into middle distance.

The poster’s catchline read: “Together for a modern Germany.” 

“Why do conservatives always act as if they want change and modernisation?”, another Twitter user asked. “They don’t want that, and that’s exactly why they get elected.” 

On Tuesday afternoon, the Union unveiled their campaign slogan for the upcoming German elections in September: “Deutschland Gemeinsam machen”, which translates, somewhat awkwardly, as either “Do Germany together” or “Make Germany together”. 

It didn’t take long for the responses to come flooding in on Twitter as users mocked the slogan and pointed out the discrepancies between the CDU’s claims and what they had done in their 16 years in power.

Simon Lavo-Braumann, who often satirises German politics on Twitter, created a lengthy thread in which he juxtaposed the Union’s flyers with news stories about policies they’d implemented in recent years.

In one example, he placed a flyer with the slogan “Learn today what counts tomorrow” next to a story about the Ministry for Education refusing to offer financial assistance to unemployed students during the pandemic. 

Another Twitter user pointed out that the “together” slogan didn’t quite match the photographs on the campaign posters, which exclusively featured white people and straight couples.

Several people also pointed out that the phrase “Deutschland gemeinsam machen” not only sounded a bit iffy in English – but also comes across strangely in German as well.

Tweeting on the afternoon of the campaign launch, German news site Deutsche Welle struggled to work out what the slogan actually meant.

“What do you think it means?”, they asked the Twittersphere. “Wrong answers only.” 

Some people were reminded of Donald Trump’s famous “Make America Great Again” by the “Make Germany together” slogan, but a few questioned what exactly Germany was going to be made into. 

“North Rhine-Westphalia,” posited one user, referring to western Germany’s post-industrial heartlands, where several German companies have their headquarters. 

So, what are the Union trying to do?

With the overwhelmingly popular Merkel set to make way for the new leader in September, the CDU and CSU’s election campaign will be all about presenting Laschet as a similarly capable – and likeable – pair of hands.

At the top of their campaign website – ein-guter-plan-fuer-deutschland.de (“a good plan for Germany”) – Laschet takes centre-stage in a video that sets out his party’s vision for the future, emphasising modernisation, a strong economy and robust environmental protections. 

In their pro-business and pro-environmental message, it appears that the CDU and CSU are trying to see off two of their biggest electoral competitors: the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP) on the right, and the eco-friendly Green Party on the left.

The FDP, in particular, have been banging the drum for modernisation and digitalisation in recent years, suggesting that this might be the right chord to strike with Germany’s entrepreneurial community. 


The FDP’s 2017 election campaign highlighted the need to digitalise the German economy. Photo: FDP

With their ‘gemeinsam’ (together) slogan, the Union also seems to be appealing to an ongoing feeling of solidarity and mutual sacrifice that has been awakened in the ongoing pandemic.

In short, they’re trying to send a message to voters that they are the right party to bring the country together and rebuild after Covid. 

Web domains hijacked by campaigners

Following the launch of its manifesto website, the Union suffered a further setback after the domain name was hijacked by Sea Eye, an organisation dedicated to rescuing refugees who attempt to make the crossing over to Europe over the Mediterranean. 

The name of the manifesto site was recreated without hyphens under the website addresses einguterplanfuerdeutschland.de and egpfd.de by the activists, who are demanding, among other things, a “decriminalization of sea rescue”.

READ ALSO: How a tech school helps refugees break into Germany’s job market

“In their manifestos, other parties support the state’s duty to rescue [refugees] at sea, but the CDU and CSU do not,” the organisation wrote on the new website. “At the same time, their current policy undermines the values of our Constitution by standing idly by as people die in the Mediterranean.”

Some Twitter commentators suggested that the sea rescue group could sell the domains back to the Union for an “absurd price” and donate the money to projects that fight against the populist Right.

Union leading the polls

With less than three months to go until the General Election on September 26, pundits are keeping a close eye on any movements in the polls.  And it does look like the CDU/CSU is still Germany’s favourite pick for the top party. 

Back in late April, it briefly looked like the Green Party was emerging as a major challenger after the eco-party took the lead in the polls with 28 points.

Meanwhile the Union, which has governed Germany as a senior coalition partner for almost two decades, slumped into second place, suggesting a potential reversal of fortunes.

But the honeymoon period didn’t last long, as Green Party co-leader Annalena Baerbock has been continually plagued by personal attacks and “fake news” and is currently facing a scandal over whether she plagiarised sections from her recently released book.

READ ALSO: 

As of Wednesday, the CDU/CSU were once again ahead in the polls with 29 points, while the Greens trailed in second place with 19 points.

The Union’s junior coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) were on 16, while the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP) secured 12 points, and the anti-migrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) were on 10.

In last place were The Left party, with just seven points. 

Member comments

  1. Just as meaningless as “Lets make America Great Again”. This from the same organisation that brought you, insider dealing on mask purchases and a devastating train wreck on vaccinations for Covid. The latter leading Germany to be the laughing stock of the world. I accept that most governments are out of touch with the population and that there is often gross mishandling of emergency situation but these things for a nation that used to be recognised globally as organised and efficient.

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POLITICS

Germany’s Scholz rejects calls for later retirement in Labour Day message

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has rejected calls for later retirement in a video message for Labour Day published on Wednesday.

Published: 1 May 2024 08:12 CEST
Germany's Scholz rejects calls for later retirement in Labour Day message

“For me, it is a question of decency not to deny those who have worked for a long time the retirement they deserve,” said Scholz.

Employees in Germany worked more hours in 2023 than ever before: “That’s why it annoys me when some people talk disparagingly about ‘Germany’s theme park’ – or when people call for raising the retirement age,” he said.

Scholz also warned of creating uncertainty due to new debates about the retirement age. “Younger people who are just starting out in their working lives also have the right to know how long they have to work,” he said.

Scholz did not explicitly say who the criticism was targeted at, but at its party conference last weekend, the coalition partner FDP called for the abolition of pensions at 63 for those with long-term insurance, angering its government partners SPD and the Greens.

Scholz saw the introduction of the minimum wage nine years ago – and its increase to twelve euros per hour by his government – as a “great success”. “The proportion of poorly paid jobs in our country has shrunk as a result,” he said.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Is it worthwhile to set up a private pension plan in Germany?

However, he said there were still too many people “who work hard for too little money,” highlighting the additional support available through housing benefit, child allowance and the reduction of social security contributions for low earners.

“Good collective wage agreements also ensure that many employees finally have more money in their pockets again,” he added. 

And he said that the country wouldn’t “run out of work” in the coming years.

“On the contrary! We need more workers,” he said, explaining that that’s why his government is ensuring “that those who fled to us from Russia’s war in Ukraine get work more quickly.”

Work means “more than making money,” said Scholz. “Work also means: belonging, having colleagues, experiencing recognition and appreciation.”

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