Is There Life after Kohl? The CDU Crisis and the Future of Party Democracy in Germany
Author(s)
Helms, Ludger
Abstract
The effects of the fall of the Christian Democratic Union/Bavarian Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) from national power in September 1998 on party democracy in Germany are studied. An analysis of the CDU/CSU’s performance in its first year as an opposition party revealed that the deposed party made significant gains in state and regional elections over the Social Democratic Party. However, it is contended that the rash of political scandals involving the CDU that arose after October 1999 could have been predicted by Helmut Kohl’s decade-and-a-half incumbency as chancellor. The consequences of the CDU’s political scandals are discussed, including the resignation of certain party officials and the possible expansion of intra-party politics between the CDU and CSU in order to reacquire political support. Although support for the conservative CDU remains strong in present-day Germany, it is concluded that the party’s chances of winning back political power in the next elections are unpromising.
