CDU under pressure: Members join the controversial 'Wendepunkt Deutschland' with AfD
A political crisis hit Cologne this week after the involvement of several CDU members in a new association alongside members of AfD and SPD was discovered. The association, named "Wendepunkt Deutschland", claims to aim at promoting free political discussion, but the CDU leadership responded quickly, threatening to expel the involved members.
The association was founded on Sunday with a board that includes Dennis Splett, a member of the CDU and Vice President of the Junge Union (JU) in Lindenthal, and Matthias Buschges, the leader of the AfD group in the Cologne council, and a member of the SPD. It is noted that there are additional members from the CDU and JU on the board, but their names have not yet been disclosed. The association describes itself as representing 'diverse centrist parties' and draws its model from the American organization Turning Point USA.
Sürah Güler, the head of the CDU in Cologne, announced that she will propose starting expulsion procedures against Denis Splet at the next meeting of the regional executive body in early January. She confirmed that any cooperation with the AfD is unacceptable, and that the CDU as a whole has passed a resolution banning such associations. Teresa de Belis-Oelinger, the head of the CDU in Lindenthal, also supports the expulsion of Splet.
Splet defended his role, emphasizing that his membership on the board was in a personal capacity aimed at promoting free discussion, not for formal cooperation with AfD. He also indicated that he plans to confront any party expulsion actions. The public announcements of the association highlight Splet as president and emphasize a central, cross-party approach, implicitly including AfD.
SPD also responded cautiously. Claudia Walther, the co-chair of SPD in Cologne, stated that the party cannot accept any cooperation with AfD. If the involvement of any SPD member is confirmed, the party will demand their resignation or consider expulsion. The founding meeting was held privately after the original venue was canceled, highlighting the sensitivity of the issue in the political landscape of Cologne.