Exactly one year before the federal elections, the CDU began a rigorous election campaign by calling for unity in the European Union and for all members of the Democratic Party to fight together against the far right. Union Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz appeared aggressive in his first major speech since his candidacy. “We are determined to stand as soon as 6pm on September 28 as those who win the 2025 federal election,” he said at the North Rhine-Westphalia CDU state party conference in Münster.