It had been a couple of weeks that the voice of Markus Soder , president of the rich Bavarian Land and leader of the CSU, had been making itself heard. But not only about him. A few days ago a group of members of the CDU (sister party of the CSU) made it known that they were in favor of Soder due to the low popularity ratings of Armin Laschet , leader of the CDU, in view of the elections in September. The fact has caused debate: although the two parties (which together are called “The Union”) always run together, they have rarely seen members of one party openly support the leader of the other. Other warning signs had also come from the foreign press. The Times two weeks ago headlined: “Markus Soder: The wild card that could emerge from the group to succeedAngela Merkel “. The BBC claimed: “A Star Trek fan who could bravely go lead Germany.” Today Soder declared for the first time that he will be available to run as candidate for chancellor of the Union, if the Union so chooses. QUESTION K
That “K” stands for Kanzeler and the question to be resolved is: who between the leaders of the CDU and that of the CSU will undertake the race for the chancellorship
The practice dictates that it is the strongest party, therefore the CDU, to choose. But this time the game is open. “We both might be suitable and we are both ready,” Soder said after a meeting with Laschet. Both think they have “good reasons”, but have not yet made a final decision on the candidacy. The governor of Bavaria, in front of the members of the Bundestag of the CDU and the CSU, said he was ready to run and “to face this responsibility if the CSU, as the elder sister, supports him widely”. But if the CDU decided otherwise “then I would accept this too – underlined Soder, adding – it is important that the decision is supported by a common spirit of responsibility.” SCANDALS
Both parties are in a difficult situation: some of their deputies have resigned after being accused of having received payments to organize tenders for the purchase of masks. But a few days ago Johannes Steiniger , member of the CDU, explained to Der Spiegel why we should prefer Soder to Laschet: “We have to compete with the personality with which we have the best chance of winning according to the polls, and this is by far Markus Soder – commented Steinger – the basis of the party is not with Armin Laschet. ”
This issue made us understand the disagreements still very present within the CDU following the election of Armin Laschet, which took place in mid-January. Many analysts in the days leading up to the vote pointed out that Laschet was the candidate wanted by Merkel but not the one desired by the hard core of the CDU. A hard work of persuasion would then have led to Laschet’s victory over Friedrich Merz , causing discontent that is still being felt. Steiniger declared that the Union must do everything possible to stay in power: “I don’t want to do four years of opposition,” he added. CDU parliamentarian Veronika Bellmann went further, inviting Laschet to renounce his candidacy for chancellor. ELECTIONS
After the regional elections in mid-March, Chancellor Angela Merkel was described by local media as “on fire” following the discouraging results of the CDU. And the slip in the Union polls just five and a half months after the elections for the renewal of the Bundestag sparked panic. The drop in the CDU nationwide is substantial: from 40% last June, when Germany was widely praised for its response to the crisis, to around 30% this month. The Greens would be around 21%. Finance minister and SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz said the results of the last regional elections showed that a national government without the CDU could be possible. “A lot is possible,” he told broadcaster ARD. Except the 8 years of chancellorshipSchroder (Social Democrat in power from 1998 to 2005 together with the Greens) Germany has been led by a CDU leader for almost forty years. WHO IS SODER, IN BRIEF
Unlike Laschet, Soder continues to enjoy a high level of popularity, not only in Bavaria but also at the federal level. He is often referred to as a “populist” and seen as a strong personality who was able to handle the pandemic crisis. In the past, he strongly criticized Angela Merkel for the policy of “uncontrolled” reception of migrants and at European level she expressed positions similar to those that the so-called “frugal countries” carry out today, especially during the 2011 Greek crisis. idea going so far as to say that he is in favor of Eurobonds. He is a skilled negotiator having participated, with the CSU delegation, in the negotiations for the formation of governments over the past 15 years. And a strong personality and a good speaker, also thanks to a past in the Bayerischer Rundfunk, a public service television and radio network. Soder said he was in favor of a short hard lockdown to counter the pandemic.
