Junge Union convention in Bonn welcomes a chancellor under pressure

The Junge Union (JU), the joint youth organisation of the CDU and CSU, holds its national convention at the World Conference Center in Bonn from Friday to Sunday. JU chairman Johannes Winkel opens the meeting at 7 pm on Friday, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia's state premier Hendrik Wüst (CDU). Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) speaks on Saturday, as does Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger; CSU leader Markus Söder addresses delegates on Sunday. According to dpa, the JU has around 90,000 members. The agenda also includes electing the national board and a lead motion aimed at making Germany the “world champion in applying AI”.

The appearance is a delicate one for Merz. His visit to last year's convention went badly: back then the JU opposed the government's pension package, which later passed the Bundestag only narrowly. Since the Union's defeats in September's state elections and weak poll numbers, the chancellor has lost authority within his party, dpa reports; Söder and Wüst are seen as the most likely potential successors. However, the news service Table.Briefings says a change of chancellor is currently not on the table.

Pascal Reddig, the JU's deputy chairman and head of the young MPs' group in the Bundestag, speaks of a “crisis of trust and credibility” and says: “We now have to get concrete.” The JU wants the pension commission's recommendations implemented in full – explicitly including the “pension at 63” – and a tax concept under which it “makes a difference whether you work or not”. According to Table.Briefings, a paper circulating in CDU circles projects, based on current polls, that the Union's parliamentary group could shrink from 208 to 142 seats; its reliability is considered limited.