Overview

• Delegates returned Sebastian Lechner as state chair with 95 percent of the vote, improving on his 88.5 percent in early 2023.
• Lechner, who leads the CDU group in the state parliament, is regarded as the party’s designated lead candidate for the 2027 Landtag election.
• The gathering is set to debate an education motion proposing a blanket mobile‑phone ban in schools, a minimum social‑media age of 14, and mandatory language tests for four‑year‑olds.
• Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected at the event on Saturday, and Lechner praised his foreign‑policy role, calling him a “peace chancellor” for efforts toward a possible Ukraine settlement.
• The CDU remains in opposition to the governing SPD–Green coalition in Lower Saxony as it consolidates leadership and policy ahead of 2027.