CDU Uses Form Letters to Pressure AfD Lawmakers to Quit Party
The Christian Democratic Union mailed pre-written resignation letters to all Alternative for Germany parliamentarians in an attempt to persuade them to leave their party.
According to Junge Freiheit, the CDU federal headquarters, led by General Secretary Carsten Linnemann, dispatched the form letters along with an anti-AfD pamphlet titled “Decline for Germany: No Alternative.” The recipients were expected to sign the documents and submit them to AfD headquarters.
A CDU spokesperson confirmed the mailing to media outlets. Bernd Baumann, first parliamentary director of the AfD parliamentary group, dismissed the initiative as an expression of absolute helplessness. He suggested the campaign demonstrates that the CDU and Chancellor Friedrich Merz lack genuine arguments to maintain their firewall against the AfD.
Pre-Written Letters Include Party Membership Cancellation
The ghostwritten resignation letter instructs AfD members to declare their immediate departure from the party. It references the enclosed CDU brochure, stating that after reading the material, the signatory is confirmed in their decision to no longer belong to the Alternative for Germany politically or personally.
The form letter also includes provisions for AfD parliamentarians to revoke direct debit authorizations for membership fees and other payments, and requests deletion of personal data where no legal retention obligations exist.
CDU Pamphlet Repeats Discredited Claims
The accompanying CDU brochure repeats claims originally made by the state-funded media organization Correctiv, which have since been rejected in court. The material alleges that the AfD plans to deport millions of people, including German citizens. These assertions were central to widespread protests earlier this year but have been legally challenged and largely discredited.
Linnemann recently characterized the AfD as a doomsday party during public statements. The pre-written letters represent an escalation in the CDU’s efforts to isolate and weaken its political rival ahead of upcoming elections.
AfD Officials Dismiss Campaign as Desperate Move
AfD Bundestag member Rüdiger Lucassen suggested on social media that Linnemann personally approved the action. He expressed concern that the same people responsible for such tactics are currently governing Germany, adding the qualifier for now.
Baumann’s assessment that the CDU lacks substantive arguments reflects growing confidence within the AfD that traditional party establishments are struggling to counter their electoral momentum through conventional political debate. The resort to direct mail campaigns targeting individual lawmakers suggests increasing anxiety within establishment parties about the AfD’s growing parliamentary presence and public support.
The campaign marks an unusual departure from typical inter-party competition in German politics, where direct recruitment efforts targeting sitting parliamentarians of rival parties are rare.
With information from Junge Freiheit
