Bavarian state election: The CSU overthrows “their king” in Hof

Created: 11/28/2022 5:19 am

By: Christian Deutschländer

Alexander König (archive image from 2015) © Andreas Gebert/dpa

Kristan von Waldenfels, only 22 years old, challenged the longtime professional politician Alexander König - and won against the 61-year-old.

Munich/Hof – The CSU overthrows its king.

And the regret is consistently within narrow limits.

In a vote in Hof that was followed internally with suspense, the party base voted out long-standing member of parliament Alexander König (61).

A 22-year-old challenged him - and won clearly.

König has a prominent role in the state parliament: Vice-Chairman of the CSU parliamentary group.

But he has also been having an affair for a decade.

In 2013, the Supreme Court of Audit determined that the deputy had taken advantage of a lavishly equipped and poorly controlled technology package for parliamentarians to buy almost half a dozen digital cameras, including a "Leica" for 6,000 euros.

It also turned out to be unusable for everyday political life.

The

made the case public at the time.

König, who had previously been involved in the state parliament's affair with relatives, repaid the camera funds to the state, according to his own statements without being asked.

Internal CSU power struggle: Alexander König loses to Kristan von Waldenfels

That made mocking headlines nationwide ("Camera King", "rather blurred", "Balla-Balla-Leica").

Now it's obviously too much for their own base.

In any case, after 25 years in the state parliament, König will no longer be nominated in the northern Franconian constituency of Hof.

With 66:34 votes, so the participants describe it, Kristan von Waldenfels prevailed as a candidate.

The 22-year-old mayor of Lichtenberg - in 2020 he was the youngest head of town hall in Germany - is considered a political talent and is still studying at the same time.

He is a distant relative of the former Finance Minister Georg von Waldenfels, who was in office under Strauss.

He had announced his candidacy weeks ago and campaigned for himself.

CSU politician Alexander König is leaving after the Bavarian state elections in 2023

König reacted calmly to the fall at the weekend, thanked him for the successful time and congratulated his successor.

Apparently there were concerns in Hof that the election could no longer or no longer be won with König.

As early as autumn 2018, the MP had achieved a below-average result in his constituency, only 36 percent.

That was enough for the mandate, but remained well below the national average.

The forced move to Hof is one of several votes by which activists from the Junge Union are using to force a renewal of the CSU state parliamentary group after the state elections on October 8, 2023.

Before König, among other things, experienced MPs in East Bavaria were challenged and replaced, including education politician Gerhard Waschler.

In Swabia, the CSU has also parted ways with Alfred Sauter, a member of parliament for many years who was involved in much more expensive mask affairs and allegations.

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The Junge Union is pleased with the election.

Country chief Christian Doleschal told

that he was very satisfied with the previous candidate nominations.

The results showed: “The CSU base wants renewal.

It will be a strong, young group that will do the CSU and Bavaria good.”