Values Union
The Values Union (German: WerteUnion, WU) is a German political party founded on 17 February 2024 by transforming a seven-year-old registered association with the same name. According to its own information, the Values Union had around 4,000 members in 2022, with about 3,000 also being members of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany.
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2025) |
Values Union WerteUnion | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | WU |
| Chairperson | vacant |
| Spokesperson | Martin Lohmann |
| Deputy chairs | Alexander Mitsch, Albert Weiler |
| Founder | Alexander Mitsch |
| Founded | 24 March 2017 (association) 17 February 2024 (party) |
| Split from | Christian Democratic Union of Germany |
| Headquarters | Berlin |
| Youth wing | Junge Werteunion |
| Membership (2024) | 1,386 to 4,000 |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Right-wing |
| Colours | Navy blue Orange |
| Bundestag | 0 / 630 |
| Bundesrat | 0 / 69 |
| State Parliaments | 1 / 1,891 |
| European Parliament | 0 / 96 |
| Heads of State Governments | 0 / 16 |
| Website | |
| werteunion.de | |
The Values Union (German: WerteUnion, WU) is a German political party founded on 17 February 2024 by transforming a seven-year-old registered association with the same name.[5] According to its own information, the Values Union had around 4,000 members in 2022, with about 3,000 also being members of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany.[6]
History
[edit]The Values Union (WU) was founded in 2017 and mostly included the members of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) seeking to reestablish their party's conservative roots.[7] The formation was motivated by the same shift to the right in the CDU that eventually forced Angela Merkel out of the leadership, due to her flirting with Keynesianism and social democracy, to the detriment of the "tough market radicalism of the CDU/CSU", as well as associated electorate losses to the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD).[8]
The CDU's executive committee did not recognize WU as a party subdivision, with critics accusing it of being close to the AfD.[7] The group, which was quite small at the time, argued against Merkel's approaches to the Euro rescue and the 2015 European migrant crisis. One of the founders, Hans-Georg Maaßen, refused to rule out potential coalitions with AfD in the medium-term. The 2019 resolution of the presidium and executive committee of the CDU related to the murder of Walter Lübcke indirectly accused Maaßen and WU of being complicit: "Anyone who supports the AfD must know that they are poisoning the social climate and brutalizing the political discourse". The federal leadership of the CDU initiated expulsion of Maaßen in February 2023.[9]
The deputy federal chairwoman and North Rhine-Westphalia state leader of WU, Simone Baum, took part in a secret networking meeting between the AfD and other right-wing extremists on 2023.[10] At the meeting, the right-wing extremist participants discussed how an expulsion of migrants and people who think differently politically would be possible.[11] The CDU initiated party expulsion proceedings against Baum, and the city of Cologne terminated her employment with immediate effect, likewise due to her participation at the secret meeting.[12]
In the beginning of 2024, Maaßen announced a vote among the association members in order to turn WU into a political party that would take an anti-immigration stance.[13] At a general meeting on 20 January in Erfurt, its members voted to form a new party, with a plan to participate in the upcoming September 2024 regional elections in Thuringia, Saxony, and Brandenburg.[14] Maaßen had said earlier that the new party would cooperate with all parties that support its program and "are ready for a change in policy in Germany".[15] WU got 0.28% of the vote in the 2024 Saxony state election, 0.56% in Thuringia, and 0.26% in Brandenburg.[citation needed]
AfD Bundestag member Dirk Spaniel joined WU in January 2025, giving it representation in the federal parliament.[16] Spaniel will not run for re-election.[17]
Election results
[edit] |
Federal parliament (Bundestag)
[edit]| Election | Leader | Constituency | Party list | Seats | +/– | Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |||||
| 2025 | Hans-Georg Maaßen | 2,844 (#20) | 0.01 | 6,803 (#25) | 0.01 | 0 / 630
|
New | Extra-parliamentary |
State
[edit]| State | Year | Votes | % | Seats | ± | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saxony | 2024 | 6,474 | 0.28 (#14) | 0 / 120
|
N/A | Extra-parliamentary |
| Thuringia | 2024 | 6,780 | 0.56 (#10) | 0 / 88
|
N/A | Extra-parliamentary |
| Brandenburg | 2024 | 3,877 | 0.26 (#12) | 0 / 88
|
N/A | Extra-parliamentary |
| Baden-Württemberg | 2026 | 11,304 | 0.21 (#14) | 0 / 157
|
N/A | Extra-parliamentary |
Party
[edit]The chair of WU is Hans-Georg Maaßen, the former head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Since January 2024, he has been monitored by his former colleagues.[18]
Shortly after the party was founded, a dispute over direction and power struggles began. Maaßen said that he would ideally like to form a coalition with the CDU, which he called the "premium partner" for WU. He also said he was happy about the possible demise of the AfD. This caused discord within the party. The entrepreneur Markus Krall and ex-AfD member Max Otte were involved in founding the party. After less than a month, they announced their resignation. Both criticized the party's unclear program and political direction and its protagonists' overconfidence.[19] They also complained that the party's distance from the AfD was too great.[20][21][22]
Political stances
[edit]Politically, observers place the Values Union between the CDU and the AfD.[20] It has been described as Germany's Tea Party.[23] Prior to turning into a party, it had no official party affiliation, and its role within the CDU/CSU was highly controversial.[24][25] In the 2018 leadership election, it supported Friedrich Merz.[26]
Structure
[edit]Federal presidency:
- Alexander Mitsch (March 2017 – May 2021)[27]
- Max Otte (May 2021 – January 2022),[25]
- Hans-Georg Maaßen (since January 2023), former president of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution[28]
Former members:
- Alexander Mitsch,[29] co-founder and first federal president of WU[30]
- Werner Josef Patzelt, political scientist and university professor[28]
References
[edit]- ^ ""Werteunion" in der Krise – DW – 11.07.2021" ["Values Union" in crisis – DW – 11.07.2021]. dw.com (in German). Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ Schultz, Tanjev (3 February 2021). Auf dem rechten Auge blind?: Rechtsextremismus in Deutschland [Blind in the right eye?: Right-wing extremism in Germany] (in German). Kohlhammer Verlag. ISBN 978-3-17-040065-8.
- ^ [1][2]
- ^ Götze, Susanne; Joeres, Annika (25 January 2020). "Koalition der Klimawandelleugner" [Coalition of climate change deniers]. Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ Unzufriedene CDU-Konservative: Was die Werteunion ist und was sie will, ZDF Archived 13 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ deutschlandfunk.de (27 January 2022). "Werteunion – Max Otte, die CDU und die AfD" [Values Union – Max Otte, the CDU, and the AfD]. Deutschlandfunk (in German). Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ a b Grotz & Schroeder 2023, p. 192.
- ^ Schweppenhäuser, Gerhard (2024). "Die Wende: eine Abwendung. Über 'feindliche Gefühle gegen die Autoritäten' in Deutschland" [The Turning Point: A Turning Away. On 'Hostile Feelings Against the Authorities' in Germany]. Angst und Aufklärung [Fear and Enlightenment]. Studien zur Kritischen Theorie (in German). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. pp. 23–40. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-67910-4_3. ISBN 978-3-662-67909-8.
- ^ tagesschau.de. "CDU-Vorstand beschließt Ausschlussverfahren gegen Maaßen" [CDU executive board decides on exclusion proceedings against Maaßen] (in German). Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ Daniel, Isabelle; dpa (12 January 2024). "Geheimtreffen in Potsdam: CDU leitet Parteiausschlussverfahren gegen ein Mitglied ein" [Secret meeting in Potsdam: CDU initiates party expulsion proceedings against a member]. Die Zeit (in German). ISSN 0044-2070. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ "Correctiv-Recherche: Zwei Oberbergerinnen bei Geheimtreffen zur Vertreibung von Migranten" [Correctiv research: Two women from Oberberg attend secret meeting on the expulsion of migrants]. Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (in German). 13 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ "Stadt Köln entlässt CDU-Politikerin nach Geheimtreffen radikaler Rechter" [The city of Cologne sacks CDU politician after the secret meeting of radical right]. RND (in German). 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ Geuther, Gudula (5 January 2024). "Hans-Georg Maaßen will Werteunion zur Partei machen" [Hans-Georg Maaßen wants to make Values Union a party] (in German). Deutschlandfunk. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ "Germany: Right-wing group to form a new conservative party". dw.com. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ^ "Maaßen will mit Werteunion eigene Partei gründen" [Maaßen wants to found his own party with Werteunion]. tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ "Ex-AfD-MdB Dirk Spaniel wechselt zur WerteUnion – Wir wählen die Freiheit" [Former AfD MP Dirk Spaniel joins Values Union — We choose freedom] (in German). 28 January 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ "Bundestagswahl: Weidel AfD-Spitzenkandidatin im Südwesten" [Federal election: Weidel AfD top candidate in the southwest]. FAZ.NET (in German). 6 October 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ Escritt, Thomas (31 January 2024). "Germany's former top neo-Nazi hunter now being monitored as extremist". Reuters. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- ^ Riechelmann, Alexander (24 February 2024). "WerteUnion: Ex-Mitglieder packen über Partei-Austritt aus – "Anfall von Größenwahn"" [Values Union: Former members speak out about leaving the party — "Bout of megalomania"]. DerWesten.de (in German). Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- ^ a b Joswig, Gareth (21 February 2024). "Abgänge aus Maaßen-Partei Werteunion: Splittern am rechten Rand" [Departures from Maaßen's Values Union party: splinters on the right wing]. Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). ISSN 0931-9085. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- ^ Zeitung, Süddeutsche (21 February 2024). "Werteunion verliert Mitglieder: Markus Krall und Max Otte verlassen die Partei" [Values Union loses members: Markus Krall and Max Otte leave the party]. Süddeutsche.de (in German). Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- ^ Huesmann, Felix (22 February 2024). "Werteunion verliert nach Parteigründung prominente Mitglieder" [Values Union loses prominent members after party founding]. rnd.de (in German). Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- ^ Schaer, Cathrin (13 June 2021). "Germany's Tea Party seeks to move country to the right". The New European. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ tagesschau.de. "Kritik an Werteunion: CDU-Politiker fordern Auflösung" [Criticism of Values Union: CDU politicians call for dissolution]. tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ a b "Werteunion – Max Otte, die CDU und die AfD" [Values Union — Max Otte, the CDU, and the AfD]. Deutschlandfunk (in German). 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ "Chef der Werteunion bevorzugt Merz als neuen CDU-Chef" [Head of the Values Union prefers Merz as new CDU leader]. zeit.de (in German). 31 October 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- ^ WELT (13 October 2019). "Alexander Mitsch: Vorsitzender der Werteunion verliert CDU-Posten" [Alexander Mitsch: Chairman of the Values Union loses CDU post]. DIE WELT (in German). Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ a b "Max Otte als AfD-Kandidat – Zerbröselt die Werteunion?" [Max Otte as AfD candidate — Is the Values Union crumbling?]. rnd.de (in German). 26 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ "Ex-Vorsitzender Alexander Mitsch verlässt die Werte-Union" [Former chairman Alexande Mitsch leaves the Values Union]. Der Tagesspiegel Online (in German). 5 July 2021. ISSN 1865-2263. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ "Ex-Werteunion-Chef Mitsch: Werteunion sollte sich auflösen" [Former Values Union leader Mitsch: Values Union should dissolve]. rnd.de (in German). 26 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
Sources
[edit]- Grotz, Florian; Schroeder, Wolfgang (2023). "Political Parties and the Party System". The Political System of Germany. Cham: Springer International Publishing. pp. 183–236. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-32480-2_6. ISBN 978-3-031-32479-6.
- Oppelland, Torsten (2020). "Die CDU: Volkspartei am Ende der Ära Merkel". Die Parteien nach der Bundestagswahl 2017 (in German). Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. pp. 43–69. doi:10.1007/978-3-658-29771-8_2. ISBN 978-3-658-29770-1.