Pschierer in the Unterallgäu district council in the future non-party

Created: 10/10/2022 2:21 p.m

By: Marco Tobisch

Franz Josef Pschierer resigned from the CSU on September 28th.

In future, he will act independently in the district council and not, as in the state parliament, for example, join the FDP.

© Sven Hoppe/dpa

Unterallgäu – Franz Josef Pschierer caused a big bang last week when it became known that he was turning his back on the CSU and joining the FDP.

The change will also have an impact at the district level.

However: As both Pschierer and the SPD/FDP district parliamentary group confirm when asked by the weekly KURIER, the former economics minister will not represent the FDP in the district council in future, but will act independently.

Pschierer's exit from the CSU also has consequences for the distribution of seats in the district committee.

As a reminder: At the most recent CSU district board meeting in Bad Wörishofen, which dealt with the candidacy for next year's upcoming state elections, Markt Wald's mayor Peter Wachler, another candidate besides Pschierer, spoke up - Pschierer would have the constituency of Kaufbeuren would like to continue to be represented in the state parliament and was surprised by Wachler's candidacy.

Two days later, the former economics minister announced his move to the FDP.

With the CSU, for which he sat in the state parliament for 28 years, the Mindelheimer settled on a grand scale, explaining in an interview with our newspaper, among other things: "I'm fed up with the intrigues."

From now on, Franz Pschierer will sit in the state parliament for the FDP.

However, the 66-year-old has resigned from his position as chairman of the CSU SME Union.

He was very sorry about that, he says.

He will now join the back of the FDP and try to make a constructive contribution.

It is not yet clear whether he will be running on the FDP list for a seat in the coming state parliament in 2023.

But one thing is now clear: Pschierer will not join the SPD/FDP parliamentary group in the district council, but will act independently.

Group spokesman Roland Ahne (SPD) and Pschierer himself confirmed this when asked.

On Thursday, the two of them had exchanged personal views and mutually agreed that they would go their separate ways, as before.

“Shot against the SPD for 40 years”

"There are several reasons that speak against it," Ahne said of a collaboration.

The spokesman for the parliamentary group stated literally that Pschierer had "shot against the SPD for 40 years", so the "elders would not understand it" if the long-standing CSU member suddenly joined the Social Democrats.

Therefore, both parties felt that this was the best solution.

The latter is also confirmed by Franz Josef Pschierer.

"I will definitely be actively involved in the state and district election campaigns next year for the FDP.

It's hard to imagine that I'm a partner of the SPD in the district parliamentary group and at the same time deal critically and controversially with the SPD at state level.

That's why the status 'non-affiliated' is currently the best,” says Pschierer, who nevertheless found the conversation with Ahne to be “very constructive”.

"I was very pleased that Roland Ahne was elected Deputy Mayor of Mindelheim.

I have known and valued him for many years as an honest and trustworthy person to talk to," said the 66-year-old.

“As far as important issues of district politics are concerned, we will definitely exchange ideas from time to time.

When asked how he, as a non-partisan member of parliament, could still exert political influence, the member of parliament replied: “I will keep in close contact with the other parliamentary groups.

In addition, I regularly have a jour fixe with District Administrator Eder and his deputy Dr.

Stephen Winters.

I will, of course, continue to communicate the issues for which we need the support of the Free State of Bavaria to Munich.”

Discussions are to be held over the next few days about what role Pschierer should play for the FDP in the district.

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District council: Second seat for the Greens in committees

Incidentally, also explosive: Pschierer's departure from the CSU changes the strength of the factions in the district council.

The Christian Socialists not only lose a seat in the district council itself, but also in some of the committees.

Because of the new mandate shares, the CSU is in the district committee and all other committees with twelve members (building committee, committee for personnel and social affairs, committee for environment and climate protection, committee for economy and tourism, committee for mobility, local transport and transport networking and school, culture - and Sports Committee) only three instead of four seats - and is therefore no longer the strongest faction in these bodies (the Free Voters also have three seats).

The Greens are the beneficiaries: according to the new balance of power, they are entitled to a second seat in the seven committees mentioned.

As early as the upcoming district council meeting on Monday, October 17, the public part of the meeting from 9 a.m. in the forum should clarify which CSU district councilor (including deputies) will be recalled from the individual committees and who will take his place for the Greens.

The district office explained this when asked.

Incidentally, Franz Pschierer himself was not a member of any of the committees concerned.