Overview

• Delegates re-elected Sebastian Lechner as CDU state chair with 95% support, up from 88.5% at his first election in 2023.
• Friedrich Merz received sustained applause at the congress and said the federal government must deliver more, urging a migration-critical, industry-friendly course and clearer coalition communication.
• Lechner praised Merz as a "Friedenskanzler" and highlighted the chancellor’s focus on efforts toward peace in Ukraine.
• The party advanced an education package including a blanket mobile-phone ban in schools until upper secondary, a social-media minimum age of 14, mandatory language tests for four-year-olds, possible gymnasium entrance tests, and a flexible first-and-second-grade stage.
• Positioning for the 2027 state election from opposition to the SPD–Green government, Lechner signaled a potential pitch to overhaul municipal funding by scrapping most grant programs in favor of direct allocations via the fiscal equalization system.