February 20, 2026 — Germany’s governing Christian Democratic Union (CDU) re-elected Chancellor Friedrich Merz as party leader at its national conference in Stuttgart, giving him a strong mandate as he seeks to shore up support ahead of a busy state election year.
Merz won 878 of 963 delegate votes, about 91.2%, in the leadership ballot. In his opening address to roughly 1,000 delegates he linked domestic reform aims to a shifting global landscape, saying “we are not at war, but we are no longer at peace either,” and warning that the old rules-based international order is eroding.
He stressed unconditional backing for Ukraine — “we stand by the Ukrainian people, no ifs, ands, or buts” — and condemned Russian justifications for the invasion. Merz also urged Germany to remain an industrialized nation, arguing the statutory pension system can be only “one building block” of future social policy and that the country needs strong industrial and technological progress after years of recession.
Addressing domestic politics, Merz attacked the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), accusing it of nepotism, chaos and abusing public office, and warned against authoritarian tendencies, saying that in times of upheaval people can “long for security and order” and be drawn to dangerous models. He said the CDU must prevent right‑wing radicalism from returning to state governments, noting the AfD is polling ahead of the CDU in some eastern states due to hold elections in September.
On foreign policy, Merz appealed for the preservation and redefinition of transatlantic ties amid rising US unpredictability, saying the United States remains a friend though it “is increasingly losing interest” as a guarantor of international order. He called for Germany to face that reality “without illusions and without nostalgia” while working to ensure the partnership endures.
Former chancellor Angela Merkel attended the conference as a guest, her first appearance at a CDU federal party congress since leaving office in 2021. Her presence was widely seen as a conciliatory gesture amid past tensions between the centrist and conservative wings of the party.
Merz framed the CDU’s task as giving confidence to all Germans and pledged not to disappoint voters who returned the party to government.