Veitshöchheim: Söder goes as Otto von Bismarck – Bavaria

So now he’s going to be chancellor after all. The Reich Chancellor at least and at least for one evening. Prime Minister Markus Söder goes to the Franconian carnival in Veitshöchheim as Reich Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. This is no coincidence, one can assume, but speculation is certainly welcome. His wife Karin Baumüller-Söder accompanies him in a matching wardrobe.

The program is the one at Carnival in Franconia. Comedians and speakers, garden and a fire department band from Upper Palatinate. Everything is wonderful, but just as exciting for many is the question: Who goes as what?

Söder traditionally keeps a big secret about his disguise. After taking office as state father, he appeared for a while in a serious tuxedo, but that was apparently too bland for him. Last year he called himself a tribal elder to lead the Bavarians and give them guidance. If he had pretended to be Moses or Abraham, it would have matched the costume.

So now Bismarck, the first Chancellor of the German Empire from 1871 to 1890. A great statesman, Söder doesn’t do anything less than that. After all, he was already at the Franconian carnival as Prince Regent Luitpold and Edmund Stoiber.

“Strauß always said that in difficult times, Bavaria must be the last Prussians,” Söder explains his choice of costume with reference to the long-time former CSU Prime Minister Franz Josef Strauß. Bismarck was also a strong, assertive statesman. “He pursued an alliance policy that ultimately meant that Germany was not isolated,” says Söder, also supporting the state.

Söder also traditionally gets make-up done at the State Theater in Nuremberg. Always with you: cameras and photographers, so that all the effort is rewarded accordingly. Now it is still unclear what the rest of the state government will appear as.

You can probably be sure with Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann. This is now so normal that hardly anyone would be surprised if he showed up at the ministry like that.