Erfurt. Just ahead of the CDU federal party conference, Thuringia's Minister-President Mario Voigt urged his party to engage more closely with the public in debates over potential social policy reforms. "Reforms must not divide us," he told Tagesspiegel. "We need to discuss change in a way that leaves no one behind or unsettled. The key is the tone: demanding, but not condescending."
CDU's Voigt demands bold reforms to fix housing crisis and revive economy
Voigt, a member of the CDU executive board, also defended party leader Friedrich Merz for speaking "uncomfortable economic truths." "Germany is not entitled to success—we must earn it," the Thuringian premier said. "Voicing that is the duty of a chancellor."
Looking to this year's state elections, the CDU politician expressed hope for a "Christian Democratic domino effect," giving his party the chance to provide both the chancellor and ten state premiers for the first time since 2005. "That would be immense political capital to break the reform deadlock gripping our country."
Voigt added that the CDU would use the conference to "flesh out our reform agenda with concrete proposals to drive economic progress." Central to this is a housing construction push: "Above all, we will radically streamline building regulations. This helps twice over—boosting the construction industry, but most importantly, aiding those searching for homes. Creating housing means fostering social cohesion."
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