Andreas Scheuer announced at the CSU’s New Year’s reception in Passau at the weekend that he would no longer be running in the upcoming federal election. That was surprising Announcement of Scheuer’s withdrawal However, not for the CSU district associations in his home country.
Scheuer’s decision came as no surprise
Rosemarie Weber, the district chairwoman of the CSU Passau-Stadt, explained when asked by BR that there had been discussions between Scheuer and the district associations some time ago regarding the political future of the former Federal Minister of Transport have given. Scheuer wanted to make a decision by the end of January – the announcement as the final speaker at the New Year’s reception was practically an option.
According to Weber, Scheuer had announced that he wanted to set the course for the next federal election early enough so that the district associations had enough time to find a successor.
The Andreas Scheuer had already resigned as chairman of the Lower Bavaria CSU last year. Since the summer of 2023, Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter, former district administrator of Deggendorf, has been the district chairman. Scheuer did not stand for re-election. If he had taken part in a vote, the BR said at the time, Scheuer would probably have lost it.
The 49-year-old said at the New Year’s reception that he was looking forward to the future. He and his wife Julia had a baby in November.
Praise from Passau for Scheuer – the search for a successor begins
According to Rosemarie Weber, with Scheuer the CSU is losing an “outstanding politician and speaker”. The deputy chairman of the CSU district association Passau-Stadt, Joseph Asenbauer, made a similar statement. In the BR interview, he explains that Scheuer’s early information was good for the search for a successor: “It’s a shame that he’s no longer running, but it’s also personally understandable. The issue surrounding tolls in particular was certainly very stressful for him,” he said Asenbauer.
The Passau-Land district association was currently not available for comment. A successor for Scheuer is now being sought together with the Passau-Stadt district association. In general, every member can position themselves as a possible candidate for the Bundestag. If several candidates still remain after exploratory discussions, the delegates will vote.
“Decision surprising but understandable”
Raimund Kneidinger, the district administrator of Passau and district chairman of the CSU Passau-Land, is surprised by Scheuer’s announced departure from federal politics. When asked by BR, Kneidinger explains: “I was no longer at the CSU’s New Year’s reception in Passau at the time of the announcement, but I immediately received a text message. It comes as a very surprise, but it is certainly understandable on a human level.”
According to Kneidiger, he was shy exposed to strong criticism, but I’ve done a lot, especially in the Passau region. Now it’s time to find a suitable successor; according to Kneidinger, the search should be completed by autumn.
A lot of criticism for the ex-transport minister’s handling of toll plans
Andreas Scheuer has been a member of the Bundestag since 2002. From December 2013 to March 2018 he was CSU General Secretary. Scheuer was Federal Minister of Transport from 2018 to 2021. During this time, the man from Passau came under public criticism when the European Court of Justice banned plans for car tolls in Germany and it became known that Scheuer, despite ongoing legal proceedings, had signed long-term contracts with private companies to build the toll infrastructure.
In December 2023, the Federal Ministry of Transport announced the follow-up costs of the failed car toll not to take legal action against Scheuer.
Long-time MP Max Straubinger is also no longer running
In addition to Andreas Scheuer, another Lower Bavarian CSU member of the Bundestag has announced that he will no longer run for the Bundestag: Max Straubinger, one of the longest-serving MPs in Berlin. The 69-year-old CSU politician from Lower Bavaria confirmed that he no longer wants to run in the upcoming federal election to Bayerischer Rundfunk today.
“I want to provide clarity at an early stage and clear the way for younger politicians,” Max Straubinger told the BR by telephone this afternoon on the sidelines of a meeting of the CSU regional group in Berlin. He will therefore no longer run in the next federal election in the Rottal-Inn federal constituency, which also includes the Dingolfing-Landau district and parts of the Landshut district. He had already communicated the decision to the members present at two CSU events in the Dingolfing-Landau and Rottal-Inn districts.