Union (CDU/CSU)

A German commentator argues that the centre-right CDU/CSU's slow drift toward right-wing positions has led it to a chancellor in whom fewer than 20 percent of Germans still believe. The remark, shared alongside a Die Zeit foreign-politics article, reflects a broader debate about the Union's political direction and the chancellor's deep unpopularity.

Commentators accuse Germany's CDU/CSU of revealing its own weaknesses through its response to Heidenau, arguing the party has for years repeated the mantra that Nazis must be defeated 'on content' rather than banned. The debate centres on whether the Union's refusal to pursue stronger measures against the AfD says more about the party itself than about its rival.

German politician Jens Spahn is at the centre of a fresh CDU controversy, with commentator Hans von Lucke saying the whole Union is in great disorder. The dispute, aired on n-tv, centres on claims that Spahn has apparently claimed free rein for himself within the party, sparking debate over discipline and direction in the Christian Democrats.