Responsibility does not lie in Bavaria": Söder blames CDU for Union's poor poll results

Government plans 3G rule on long-distance trains and domestic flights The CSU leader sees too little support for candidate Laschet among his sister party, the CDU. Now it's a matter of finally fighting, says Söder. Markus Söder, CSU Chairman and Minister President of Bavaria CSU leader Markus Söder sees the CDU as primarily responsible for the Union's poor poll numbers. "The responsibility for the polls does not lie in Bavaria," the Bavarian premier told the "Passauer Neue Presse" and the "Donaukurier." He said he would "honestly wish" that more in the CDU were also campaigning for Union chancellor candidate Armin Laschet. "In contrast, we are fighting for the Union in Bavaria and have been campaigning for weeks for more commitment and engagement." "What is clear is that it is now getting really tight. That's why we have to finally start fighting. Everything is at stake," Söder continued. "There is a threat of a slide to the left - whether through a traffic light or left-wing coalition: the end result would be tax increases, economic disadvantages and uncertain times." He rejected calls for a change of candidates. "The ballots are printed and the election posters pasted, so it makes no sense to talk about switching candidates." Söder backed Laschet. "I am firmly convinced that he will be a strong chancellor," the CSU leader told Söder in Munich. "He has my 100 percent support and also the support of the CSU." Laschet, he said, is always being questioned over trivialities, and far too little attention is paid to his achievements. Söder said he expects the competence of the Union candidate to now prevail in the TV debates. Video: Forsa boss on chancellor question: change of candidate for Union could make sense (SAT.1) Video Player by: Glomex (Privacy Policy) [If you want the latest news from Berlin, Germany and the world live on your cell phone, we recommend our app, which you can download here for Apple and Android devices]. Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble has spoken out clearly against further debate about replacing the chancellor candidate, despite the Union's poor poll numbers. "I think the demand is quite wrong. The Union has by far the best offer. We have to make that clear unitedly in the election campaign," the CDU politician told the Rheinische Post newspaper. "I see that it is pointed to the button. But then you fight." He added that the CDU/CSU must now rally around chancellor candidate Armin Laschet, support him and not weaken him with teasing. Laschet is the right chancellor, he said. The Tagesspiegel interactive offers for the 2021 federal election: The social media dashboard for the 2021 federal election. Candidates, election programs and the most important questions and answers on the Bundestag election 2021 Current polls for the 2021 federal election in detail Schäuble commented on Söder's statement that you can't get to the chancellor's office in a sleeper car, saying, "Deutsche Bahn has long since phased out its sleeper cars. Seriously, it doesn't need any oomph, but solidity and a clear edge in the matter." On Tuesday, a Forsa poll had become known, according to which the SPD is again the strongest political force in a Sunday poll for the first time in years. In the institute's trend barometer for RTL and n-tv, the SPD came in at 23 percent, while the CDU/CSU scored 22 percent. In a poll published Wednesday, 70 percent of CDU and CSU supporters favored replacing Laschet with Söder as their candidate for chancellor. Only 23 percent of Union supporters favored sticking with Laschet's candidacy, according to the survey commissioned by the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper. Another seven percent answered undecided to the question "In your opinion, should CSU leader Markus Söder replace CDU leader Armin Laschet as the Union's candidate for chancellor?" In principle, election polls only reflect opinion at the time of the survey and are not forecasts of the election outcome. They are also always subject to uncertainties. Among other things, weakening party ties and increasingly short-term election decisions make it difficult for polling institutes to weight the data they collect. (dpa)