Party conference in Munich
Markus Söder re-elected as CSU boss – with a personal record result
With a raised index finger: Markus Söder at the CSU party conference
© Leonhard Simon / Getty Images
Markus Söder emerged stronger from the CSU party conference: he was re-elected as party chairman with almost 100 percent approval.
“Very big honor” for Markus Söder
“It’s really great,” said Söder about the election results. Continuing as CSU chairman is a “really great honor” for him.
The result was eagerly awaited, even though there was no opposing candidate. According to the current polls, the CSU is threatened with one of the worst election results in its history in the Bavarian state elections in two weeks. The delegates clearly wanted to strengthen Söder for the state elections.
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In his speech, Söder had previously sworn the delegates to the decisive final spurt in the election campaign – particularly with attacks on the Berlin traffic light coalition and the AfD, but also with swipes at the coalition partner, the Free Voters.
Worst federal government “Germany has ever had”
“This federal government is probably the worst government Germany has ever had,” said Söder. He described the AfD as right-wing extremist. And about the Free Voters, who are currently experiencing a surge in polls after the leaflet affair surrounding their chairman Hubert Aiwanger, he said: “I’m not entirely sure whether one or the other of the polls have gone to their heads.”
He clearly rejected considerations that the Free Voters could take over the Ministry of Agriculture from the CSU after the state elections on October 8th. “My urgent advice: more humility before elections and voters,” said the Prime Minister.
In surveys, the CSU had recently fallen to up to 36 percent, which was still below its historically poor state election result from 2018 (37.2 percent). Söder and his CSU, who want to continue the coalition with the Free Voters, must therefore do everything in their power to increase the vote by a few percentage points in the last few meters. It was Söder’s fourth election as CSU leader.
Read at stern+: Markus Söder kept Hubert Aiwanger in office despite the leaflet affair. It is an attempt to prevent an even greater catastrophe.