Overview

• Dennis Radtke urged Chancellor Friedrich Merz to pursue socially balanced changes, saying there is reform need but “not with the chainsaw.”
• He called Merz’s claim that the welfare state is no longer financeable “alarmism” and warned against scaring people off necessary reforms.
• He criticized the decision to limit the promised electricity tax cut, saying breaking that pledge damaged credibility.
• Radtke said the national mood is worsening, cited surveys showing only about one in three trust state institutions, and warned the government could fail to face a democratic alternative at the next election if trust is not restored.
• He argued the AfD is exploiting frustrations over living costs and welfare debates, and he will press his case as the CDA convenes its federal committee in Frankfurt on Saturday.