German Chancellor Angela Merkel"s Christian Democrats (CDU) unveiled plans today to broaden the party"s appeal, in response to record low results in last year"s election, according to dpa. In a draft document, the CDU leadership said it wants to target supporters of the opposition Social Democrats (SPD) and the Green Party, as well as winning back voters who had defected to the Free Democrats (FDP) during the last election. "Elections are won in the centre," the declaration said. It also reiterated the CDU"s commitment to tax reforms pledged after last year"s election. Merkel"s CDU was returned to government last September with just 33.8 per cent of the vote, just enough to form a coalition with the pro-business FDP and force the centre-left SPD into opposition. The so-called "Berlin declaration," to be approved at a CDU leadership convention on Friday, came in response to criticism that Merkel was not appealing sufficiently to her party"s conservative wing. On the contrary, the chancellor said, her party needed to broaden its electoral base. "Of course, this also means reaching the growing number of floating voters," Merkel said in an interview with daily Handelsblatt. CDU leaders voiced their dissatisfaction with the party"s worst election result in 60 years. "It will increasingly depend on locking in core voters and winning new voters," the Berlin draft read. Volker Kauder, the parliamentary leader of the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), said they were "Christian-conservative, Christian-social - and liberal. None of these roots can be allowed to wither." The party leadership reiterated its intention to push through tax reform in the next two years, after the CSU had attacked an FDP-led move to slash tax revenue by up to 24 billion euros (35 billion dollars). Earlier, Merkel had also defended her coalition partners. "It is interesting that the FDP in particular has been criticized for making sure that what we promised is really implemented," the chancellor told Handelsblatt, in reference to government pledges made after the election. Merkel has been criticized by her own party members for allowing recent infighting to rage amongst her coalition members, in particular between CSU and FDP ranks. However, just 36 per cent of the population agreed that Merkel was not showing leadership, compared to 46 per cent who supported her, according to pollsters Emnid. The head of Emnid, Klaus-Peter Schoeppner, said the CDU had gone through a "radical change" under Merkel"s leadership. However, the party lacked a "core brand," he told N24 news channel. Merkel, who is often described as the CDU"s dominant "brand," stressed the importance for her party to maintain its broad appeal. "In future the CDU, as a people"s party, will need to cover a broad range of persuasions in order to win majorities," the chancellor told Handelsblatt. The CDU leadership meeting continues Friday in Berlin.
