Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder not only loves to be photographed in his work as head of government, but also in his function as party leader. “The CSU takes care of the photographic documentation itself at party meetings. The state leadership uses employees, external photographers and image agencies,” said a spokesman for the CSU when asked by the German Press Agency. However, the party “generally does not give any information” about the costs.
At the beginning of August, Söder’s skyrocketing photo costs in the State Chancellery made headlines and caused a stir nationwide. Since Söder took over from his predecessor Horst Seehofer in 2018, the fees paid to photographers in the State Chancellery have multiplied.
In Seehofer’s last year in office in 2017, the costs were 10,891.47 euros, and in 2022 under Söder they were already 178,618.13 euros. For 2023, the State Chancellery indicated costs of 75,726.73 euros up to the deadline of May 8th. In addition, a permanent photographer has been on the payroll of the State Chancellery for years.
At the time, Söder justified the increased costs with a new communication strategy. The pictures of his appointments are also an answer to fake news and the distance, especially after the Corona period. “It’s not about portraits, it’s about government action, the representation and showing of government action,” said Söder at the time.
The State Chancellery also pointed out that the fee costs not only related to Söder, but also to the photographic accompaniment of the Head of the State Chancellery, Florian Herrmann, and Minister for Europe, Melanie Huml (both CSU). The State Chancellery also emphasized that it is also making the photos available to the media and other departments, as well as to some event participants, such as at the New Year’s reception or when medals are handed out, free of charge as a reminder.
Incidentally, according to the CSU spokesman, the CSU does not use the free Söder photos from the State Chancellery. To document Söder’s appearances and appointments, she “returns to pictures from the sources mentioned”.