Söder's ultimatum: CSU demands confession from Aiwanger

dpa Söder's ultimatum: CSU demands confession from Aiwanger Article by dpa • 1 H. Markus Söder (CSU), Prime Minister of Bavaria, makes a press statement after a CSU parliamentary group meeting. How quickly times can change: Shortly before the start of the coalition negotiations in Bavaria, the house blessing between the CSU and the Free Voters is once again seriously awry. Although CSU leader Markus Söder has been pleading for the continuation of the government for months, on Tuesday he gave Hubert Aiwanger and his party an ultimatum that was quite surprising in its clarity: by Thursday he expected a clear commitment from the Free Voters to their political compass and understanding of democracy. “A lot happened during the election campaign. “Just don’t talk about it or “let’s take a look” is not enough,” says Söder after the first meeting of the CSU parliamentary group in the state parliament. It must be clarified whether the Free Voters continue to focus on stability and are “firmly anchored in the democratic spectrum” or whether there are other tendencies. “Otherwise it would be a problem.” It is about the integrity of the state government, so the commitment may have to be anchored in a preamble to the coalition agreement. Without saying it, Söder is probably also referring to the Aiwanger leaflet affair. A few weeks before the election, an inflammatory newspaper from Aiwanger's school days had plunged the government into a crisis. Only later did it emerge that Aiwanger's brother had written the paper more than 35 years ago. Already in June, Aiwanger had already caused upheaval with the CSU with a right-wing populist statement on the state of democracy. The newly elected new CSU parliamentary group leader in the state parliament, former Health Minister Klaus Holetschek, was even clearer: “It would be fatal to simply go back to the agenda now. It wouldn't lay a good basis for future government action. Instead, we have to sit at the table now, look each other in the eye and speak plainly." With this, Holetschek and Söder have set up a new hurdle immediately before the already difficult coalition negotiations, which can be seen as the first consequence of the record election results of the Free Voters last Sunday: Unlike in the last legislature, the CSU no longer wants pure harmony because of letting the Free Voters do what they want. We need to talk specifically about statements made by the Free Voters during the election campaign, where at some meetings they railed against their own government's work as if an opposition politician was speaking. This criticism is anything but new - the CSU has only previously shied away from an open debate. According to Holetschek, the fundamental clarification is an important concern for many in the 85-member parliamentary group, and there are also “some things from the last electoral period” that still need to be clarified. The Free Voters could not say what other ministries should do, but would now have to “provide appropriate services themselves”. Söder and Holetschek did not want to say when and how the internal discussions with the Free Voters would take place. On Tuesday they were more concerned with a first scent and the announcement that the CSU - especially the state parliamentary group - no longer wants to treat the Free Voters with kid gloves, as Söder had recently been accused within the party. Critics also see the too close relationship with the Free Voters as a reason why they are now the second strongest force in the state parliament. After the election, Aiwanger called for a fourth ministry for his party on Monday and at the same time warned the CSU against distancing itself from the Free Voters. “Any separation from us means a departure from common sense,” he said. “I would recommend that the CSU not act so girlish now.” Söder emphasized again on Tuesday that this had not been a “successful start”. He expected that a more conciliatory tone would be struck after the election and that “the beer tent mode” (Holetschek) would not continue. Despite the poor start after the election, Söder was confident that he would be able to conclude the coalition negotiations within two and a half weeks: namely in the week before the inaugural session of the newly elected state parliament on October 30th. And if possible, the prime minister election should take place in parliament the next day, i.e. on October 31st. With a view to the ministerial positions to be awarded, Söder urged calm. As always, a decision about personnel will only be made “at the very end”. “That’s why my advice is that you best qualify for office if you have convincing arguments on the matter.”