As of: February 14, 2024, 6:16 a.m
By: Christian Deutschländer, Mike Schier
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Increasingly annoyed: Markus Söder looks at Hubert Aiwanger © Sven Simon/Imago
Markus Söder is increasingly annoyed with Hubert Aiwanger and his course to the right.
The new edition of the Bavaria coalition has now lasted 100 cool days.
An interim balance.
Munich – Markus Söder sits stiffly and dignified in his disguise as Bismarck.
Only once does he fall out of character, burst out laughing, sticking his thumb out into the camera: It's the moment when the cabaret artists at the Franconian carnival in Veitshöchheim harshly criticize Hubert Aiwanger, mentioning his "dirty leaflet" and in mocking rhymes question why Söder is still in a coalition with him.
The spontaneous cheerfulness is actually very bitter, and Aiwanger's frozen expression is part of it.
So this is what the Bavarian coalition is like.
This alliance has existed for around 100 days, but the harmony that was previously invoked as an alternative to the reviled Berlin chaos traffic light is gone.
Criticism of Bavaria's Economics Minister continues unabated: Aiwanger, the “little problem bear”
The chemistry is no longer right between the CSU and the Free Voters, especially their alpha animals.
Rarely are there major disputes, never ideological differences.
Coalition and budget negotiations were peaceful.
But there are a lot of quibbles, all rivalries, about who is responsible for what and which clientele is allowed to present successes.
Aiwanger on the one hand, but also the new and busy CSU parliamentary group leader Klaus Holetschek see themselves as too aware of the topic.
An incomplete selection of the jostles: it's about Aiwanger's presence at the demo, about the allegedly neglected tasks as economics minister, including skipping appointments at the Max Planck Society;
about ideas for strengthening rural areas;
about sovereignty over the timetable in primary school, even about the question of whether authorities should still have faxes;
about the blame for the lost wind turbine referendum near Altötting.
A highlight: Holetschek ridiculed Aiwanger as a “little problem bear”.
In truth, this speaks less of condescension and more of concern for his celebrity.
Aiwanger is very well received by voters in the polls (European elections are in June).
The attacks are intended to slow down the economics minister.
And Holetschek follows up.
He announced that the CSU parliamentary group would be launching a focus on economic policy next week, especially on international issues that Aiwanger paid little attention to.
He calls the cooperation “professional, even if I am surprised at some of the unnecessary sensitivities of Free Voters lately.”
Friction within the Bavaria coalition is becoming increasingly visible: “The pace has become tougher”
Internally, however, the Free Voters are struggling to find the right course.
Aiwanger stands for advertising far to the right.
Party leader Florian Streibl and former minister Michael Piazolo see themselves as representatives of the center.
At the base, the grumbling about Aiwanger is getting louder.
He was repeatedly warned internally to polarize less and concentrate more on his ministerial job.
After a board meeting at the weekend, Piazolo said he had “made it clear that we are in the middle.
That’s where the majority of our members see themselves.”
“It is noticeable that the pace has become tougher,” says Streibl about dealing with the CSU.
Both parties are fighting for the same electorate; it is always about the sovereignty of interpretation.
In addition, there are many new MPs in both factions who have so far only seen each other as competitors in the election campaign.
This has to come together first.
“We must not forget that we as a coalition have been given joint responsibility by voters,” warns Streibl.
What is clear to both sides: somehow they are chained to each other.
Neither the CSU nor the FW have serious government options without each other.
Söder and his people still categorically exclude the black-green coalition.
(Mike Schier and Christian Deutschländer)