CSU boss Markus Söder is coming under more and more pressure in the Union.
At an appointment in Munich, the Bavarian Prime Minister looks quite tired - and has changed significantly.
Munich - Markus Söder's appointment this Monday (October 18) was comparatively relaxed.
Together with Agriculture Minister Michaela Kaniber (CSU) and representatives of the Bavarian Nature Conservation Union, the Prime Minister planted a cherry tree in front of the Bavarian State Chancellery in Munich.
But: Photos showed a tired CSU boss, including a three-day beard, which is not known from the 54-year-old Franconia.
Otherwise, he was always perfectly shaved, even during the lockdowns of the coronavirus pandemic.
This time when Söder was giving a lecture on nature conservation in the open air, he immediately ran his hand over the slightly gray-mottled stubble one time or another.
He had prominent bags under his eyes.
Slept bad?
Catches?
Exhausted?
This question went unanswered this Monday.
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Three-day beard and tired look: CSU boss Markus Söder.
© IMAGO / Sven Simon
Markus Söder from the CSU: The Bavarian Prime Minister looks tired
It is known that the CSU politician had time for the appointment at the State Chancellery between the English Garden and Odeonsplatz because the Union does not take part in the coalition negotiations in Berlin.
The SPD, FDP and Greens are currently exploring a possible traffic light alliance in the federal government.
The fact that FDP leader Christian Lindner said at the same time that his party was far removed from the Social Democrats and the Greens should not cause cheers in Munich either.
The year 2021 marks a low point in our collaboration.
Friedrich Merz (CDU) on Markus Söder (CSU)
After all, the CDU / CSU and FDP usually get along better politically.
At the moment, however, some in the Union are obviously not getting along with the extraordinarily self-confident nature of Söder.
Some internally apparently associate the poor performance in the 2021 federal election with his taunts.
Above all CDU top politician Friedrich Merz, who was briefly part of the also failed future team of Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet.
Markus Söder from the CSU: Sharp criticism from the CDU and the Young Union
“The year 2021 marks a low point in our cooperation and our dealings with one another,” Merz recently wrote in his newsletter.
The sister parties do not have to be “completely convinced of every decision”, said Merz, but the way they dealt with each other around the federal election was “stylistically, disrespectful and sometimes rowdy”.
“We have a responsibility that goes beyond our parties and beyond individuals and their personal interests in power,” the former chairman of the CDU / CSU parliamentary group continued.
But that's not all: “It is a great value that we have a strong Prime Minister,” CSU Vice Manfred Weber recently told the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
:
“But when I say that he is number one, it also includes Markus Söder bears most of the responsibility.
Not only for the decisions, but also for the party's election results.
And from this we now have to draw the right conclusions together. "
Markus Söder from the CSU: Worst result in the federal election since 1949
To put it into perspective: In the most recent federal election in Bavaria, with 31.7 percent, the CSU had the worst result since 1949 and thus the second worst result in its history in the Federal Republic. At the state assembly of the Junge Union (JU) Bavaria on Saturday, October 9th, in Deggendorf, Lower Bavaria, Söder was criticized for a "one-man show". His name was even deleted from a prominent motion. And: At their so-called Germany Day (Federal Assembly) in Münster a week later, the JU spoke of an “open or covert dismantling from the candidate's leadership circles - especially from Munich”. This made it impossible for Laschet to “develop a positive image”.
As a reminder: In the spring, Söder had a week-long power struggle for the Union chancellor candidacy with the 60-year-old from Aachen.
A few days before the federal election, Söder and his general secretary Markus Blume then brought a possible election defeat into play.
Now that the election is lost, Söder is also receiving his criticism.
And that properly.
On that wet, cold and foggy October 18 in Munich, you could see the hardships of the past few months.
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List of rubric lists: © IMAGO / Sven Simon
