Disgruntled members from within German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc are calling for a reversal of her centrist policies and a return to conservative "core beliefs."
Traditionalists from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), will launch a "conservative manifesto" on Saturday to push for a change of course.
Read more: Merkel, Seehofer, Facebook fall in German public opinion
The group "WerteUnion," (Union of Values) wants the party to focus on family values, limit immigration, reintroduce compulsory military service and end dual nationality, among other things.
"We want the Union to reflect on its core values and to translate our beliefs based on Christianity into everyday political life. This includes above all questions on the right to life, the family and human dignity. Our endeavor also applies to the preservation of God's creation," reads the draft manifesto.
Among the principles to be protected is that of "father, mother and child" as the foundation of society, a reference to the legalization of gay marriage last year.
Read more: Gay couple becomes first in Germany to adopt child
According to the group's website, WerteUnion seeks "to create a stronger network among conservative and economic liberal forces within the Union and contribute especially to the CDU reflecting on its core values."
The conservative faction calls for a more restrictive immigration policy based on skills shortages, an "end to a hasty clean energy transition" and an end to "state support of ideologically motivated gender research."
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Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government
Chancellor: Angela Merkel (CDU)
The new chancellor will be the same as the old one: Christian Democrat (CDU) Angela Merkel. It will be her fourth term as leader of the German government and the third time she heads up a grand coalition between the CDU, its conservative Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the Social Democrats (SPD). It is also expected to be her last term as chancellor.
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Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government
Chief of Staff at the Chancellery: Helge Braun (CDU)
Helge Braun, who is currently minister of state at the Chancellery, has been nominated by Merkel for the promotion to Chancellery head. He would take over from Peter Altmaier. Braun's rise within the body would ensure a certain continuity.
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Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government
Minister of the Interior, Heimat and Construction: Horst Seehofer (CSU)
Seehofer, Bavaria's soon-to-be former state premier and chairman of the CSU, will head Germany's newly expanded Interior Ministry. This will be the first time that the vaguely patriotic "Heimat" concept (roughly "homeland") is included in a federal minister's domain. Bavaria, however, has had a state Heimat Ministry for five years.
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Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government
The fight for the Foreign Ministry: Heiko Maas (SPD)
The most-talked about position in the upcoming Cabinet is that of foreign minister. After the SPD and CDU/CSU agreed on a policy blueprint, it became apparent that Sigmar Gabriel would not keep his position as head of the Foreign Ministry. He will be succeeded by former Justice Minister Heiko Maas.
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Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government
Finance Minister: Olaf Scholz (SPD)
Scholz nomination for finance minister had been rumored for weeks. Currently the mayor of Hamburg, he is considered the high-level SPD politician with the most financial expertise. Scholz has been in Merkel's Cabinet once before, as minister of labor and social affairs from 2007 to 2009. The Finance Ministry's capture was a significant win for the SPD. Scholz will also serve as vice-chancellor.
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Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government
Minister of Defense: Ursula von der Leyen (CDU)
Von der Leyen has been defense minister since 2013 and has now been tapped by Merkel to keep the job. This comes despite numerous scandals within the Bundeswehr, Germany's military, that broke since she took over the Defense Ministry. Her relationship with the troops has suffered, but Merkel trusts her. German media has speculated that Von der Leyen could be a potential successor to Merkel.
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Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government
Economic and Energy Affairs Minister: Peter Altmaier (CDU)
Altmaier, currently Merkel's chief of staff at the Chancellery, has been nominated to take over the Economy Ministry. This would be the first time in more than 50 years that a CDU politician holds that post. Altmaier is regarded as extremely loyal to the chancellor. Questions of renewable energy and energy networks will also fall into Altmaier's portfolio.
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Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government
Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection: Katarina Barley (SPD)
Heiko Maas was justice minister during the last government's term, but he's now taken over the reigns at the Foreign Ministry. Trained lawyer Katarina Barley will take on the post. She served as both minister of family affairs and minister of labor in 2017 as part of the previous government.
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Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government
Minister of Labor and Social Affairs: Hubertus Heil (SPD)
Andrea Nahles will step down as labor minister to lead the SPD following Martin Schulz's decision to resign. Her successor, Hubertus Heil, was the surprise announcement when the SPD unveiled its Cabinet ministers. A member of the Bundestag since 1998, Heil has twice served as the party's secretary general.
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Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government
Minister for the Environment: Svenja Schulze (pictured) or Matthias Miersch (both SPD)
Barbara Hendricks, Germany's outgoing minister for the environment, nature conservation and nuclear safety has reached retirement age. While she may well have liked to stay on in her job, the SPD leadership announced it was seeking a successor. Svenja Schulze will take over, having previously served as minister for innovation, science and research in North Rhine-Westphalia.
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Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government
Minister for Health: Jens Spahn (CDU)
Merkel's nominee for health minister stands out: The 37-year-old Jens Spahn not only represents a new political generation within the CDU, but was also heavily critical of Merkel's welcoming policy toward refugees. In the last government he served as the parliamentary state secretary for the finance ministry, but prior to that he helped lead the CDU's health policy in the Bundestag.
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Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government
Minister of Education and Research: Anja Karliczek (CDU)
Anja Karliczek, a former hotel manager who is relatively unknown, was nominated by Merkel to take over the Education Ministry. The new education minister will have a lot of money to spend: The ministry's budget was recently increased by €11 billion ($13.6 billion) to pay for school and university improvements, especially with respect to digitalization.
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Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government
Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.
Franziska Giffey's elevation from the mayor of Berlin's Neukölln district to Cabinet minister is perhaps the most eye-catching appointment. Giffey will bypass the Bundestag altogether to ascend into the government, but the SPD leadership believes her experience in charge of what has often been described as Berlin's "troubled" district makes her the most suitable candidate for the role.
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Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government
Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development: Gerd Müller (CSU)
Gerd Müller, 62, has been tapped to retain his position as development minister, which he has held since December 2013. He won the job over fellow CSU member Dorothee Bär, who was also in the running. The CSU has thus chosen three men for its Cabinet posts, while Bär will become the state minister for digital affairs in the chancellery, a newly created job.
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Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government
Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure: Andreas Scheuer (CSU)
Scheuer, considered a close ally of CSU party head Seehofer, is to take the Transport Ministry. He has had experience in the area: From 2009 to 2013, he held the position of parliamentary state secretary in the Transport Ministry. Right now, he is the CSU's Secretary General.
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Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government
Minister for Food and Agriculture: Julia Klöckner (CDU)
Klöckner has been tapped to head the Agriculture Ministry, where she worked as parliamentary state secretary from 2009 to 2011. She is currently a deputy federal chairwoman of her party and leads the CDU in the western German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Klöckner is the perfect candidate for Merkel, who has been called upon to assemble a younger and more female Cabinet this time around.
Author: Carla Bleiker
Alexander Mitsch, the head of WerteUnion, called the appointment to the interior ministry of Horst Seehofer, the CSU head and critic of Merkel's refugee policy, a "good start."
Read more: Seehofer wants to further restrict refugee reunifications
Germany: Is Bavaria set for an anti-Merkel conservative swing?
"Now he has to deliver and prove that he can preserve the core values of our society despite threats like uncontrolled mass immigration and rising crime," he said.
Seeking to distance the group from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), he stressed that right-wing, left-wing and Islamist extremism must be equally opposed.
One of the goals of the movement is to remove Merkel as the head of the Union at a party conference in the autumn.
cw/ng (AFP, dpa, KNA)
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