Bavaria’s Prime Minister Söder called a press conference at short notice for 11 a.m. – for “current reasons”. He is expected to announce at the same time whether he will sack Deputy Prime Minister Aiwanger or keep him.
In the affair of an anti-Semitic leaflet and the associated allegations against the Bavarian Vice Prime Minister Hubert Aiwanger (free voters), a decision is expected to be made in the morning. Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) wants to hold a press conference at 11 a.m. at short notice – “due to current events”, as the invitation said. Everything indicates that the head of government will announce what consequences he will draw from Aiwanger’s answers to 25 open questions about the affair, which the State Chancellery received on Friday.
Aiwanger’s dismissal possible
It is eagerly awaited whether Söder will dismiss his Deputy Prime Minister or stick to him five weeks before the state elections. The Free Voters in Bavaria stand behind their party leader Aiwanger.
A dismissal could not only mean the end of the current coalition, but would also have unforeseeable consequences for the continuation of the coalition desired by both sides after the state elections. It is also legally and politically unclear whether the CSU could continue with a minority government until the election if the Free Voters left the coalition whether Söder would then have to resign as Prime Minister. Constitutional lawyers refer to corresponding articles in the Bavarian constitution.
After a special coalition committee on Tuesday, Söder initially held on to Aiwanger. However, a catalog of 25 questions was presented to the head of the Free Voters, which he was supposed to answer in writing. After that he would make a final assessment, Söder had announced. So far, just as little is known about the content of the questions as about Aiwanger’s written answers.
apologies and accusations
Aiwanger had apologized over the course of the week, but at the same time presented himself as a victim of a campaign. He himself sees “no reason at all for resignation or dismissal,” as he told “Bild am Sonntag”. He called for an end to the “witch hunt”.
A week ago on Saturday, the head of the Free Voters initially denied in writing that he had written an anti-Semitic leaflet during school days that the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” had reported on. At the same time, however, he admitted that “one or a few copies” were found in his school bag. Shortly thereafter, Aiwanger’s older brother claimed to have written the pamphlet.
Former classmates charged Aiwanger in the past few days, however, when they reported that the current Vice Prime Minister had told anti-Jewish jokes in his school days and had attracted attention as a Hitler impersonator.