The recent power struggle within the German Christian Democrats seems to be working out favourably for the membership of the Bavarian CSU.
According to the party, new members are applying en masse via the internet. It involved 1,000 people on Thursday alone, and a senior party official told Bild newspaper.
A large number of registrations is a boost for the CSU. The party had pushed leader Markus Söder forward to run as a conservative chancellor candidate in the next election because Angela Merkel does not want to continue as chancellor. However, the choice fell on Armin Laschet of the large sister party CDU.
Since then, many sympathizers who want to become a member of the CSU have come forward. The party says it can barely keep up with the number of registrations.
In many cases, people sign up for online membership. They do not belong to a local branch of the party, and they also have fewer rights than ‘ordinary’ members.