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Seehofer's daughter Susanne wins the vote - and wants to be in the state parliament for the FDP
Created: 09/25/2022Updated: 09/25/2022 21:52
By: Florian Naumann, Christian Deutschlaender
Susanne Seehofer (31) during an interview in Munich-Mitte: "Then you'll do it now," said her father.
© Markus Goetzfried
The FDP in Bavaria has chosen a prominent direct candidate for the state elections: Susanne Seehofer is running in Munich.
Munich – Now it's official: Susanne Seehofer, daughter of ex-CSU boss Horst Seehofer, wants to move into the Bavarian state parliament for the FDP in 2023.
She will compete for a seat in the Maximilianeum for the Liberals.
In an internal party vote for the direct candidacy in the Munich-Mitte constituency, Seehofer prevailed against three opposing candidates on Sunday evening (September 25) - and surprisingly clearly.
Seehofer got 36 of the 56 delegate votes, so a runoff was no longer necessary.
She vowed to conduct an election campaign "like you've never seen it here before" even as a new party member.
The young mother, whose main job is a consultant at BMW, has long sympathized with the Liberals, but only joined a year and a half ago.
In her application speech, she clearly and sharply differentiated herself from the CSU.
"We must not leave Bavaria to them and the free voters," she said, criticizing the "populism" of the Söder-CSU.
Seehofer scored with the reference to her name: Yes, it is not her merit, but she wants to use it to draw media attention to the FDP and its content.
First evidence: The hall in Munich was packed, the organizers had miscalculated and were overwhelmed by the interest of around 100 party members, curious people and journalists.
Seehofer's daughter Susanne is running for FDP - CSU not "cosmopolitan" enough
Seehofer is already deputy chairwoman of the FDP Munich.
"I found my political home with the FDP - starting with the original Bavarian and original liberal principle of 'Live and let live'," the daughter of the former prime minister explained to the
Münchner Merkur
in an interview.
"The CSU is not cosmopolitan enough for me," she added.
The liberals are apparently happy about the decision: FDP country chief Martin Hagen expressed his satisfaction.
He had not openly spoken out for or against the new candidate, but his presence at the nomination meeting was a sign for Seehofer.
Former Minister of State Wolfgang Heubisch also tweeted: "Great!
Congratulations!
I am happy."
It is not the first time in the recent past that the daughter of a well-known CSU politician or a well-known CSU politician has been drawn to political competition.
For a number of years, Claudia Stamm, daughter of the former President of the Landtag, Barbara Stamm, sat in the Landtag for the Greens – and later for the “MUT” party.
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State elections in Bavaria: Greens send Hartmann and Schulze as top candidates
The Bavarian Greens have also created the first facts for the state elections.
They compete again with the top duo Ludwig Hartmann and Katharina Schulze.
At a state party conference in Landshut, the delegates confirmed the two faction leaders in the state parliament on Saturday with 95.3 percent of the votes.
Should the Greens - contrary to the current polls - become the strongest force, Schulze could not become the "mother of the country".
She is only 38 years old when she is elected, the minimum age for the office of prime minister is 40 years.
Just Hartmann's candidacy could cause problems for Susanne Seehofer.
He also competes in Munich-Mitte.
He got the direct mandate there in 2018.
The Greens are far ahead in Munich-Mitte.
Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) meanwhile again rejected a coalition with the Greens in Bavaria after the state elections: He had already made a similar statement at the CSU retreat in Kloster Banz.
"I don't want black-green in Bavaria, and there will be no black-green with me," he said on Sunday at a state assembly of the Junge Union in Augsburg.
(
dpa/fn
)