Söder: 83.6% – His Worst Result as CSU Leader
Bavaria's strongman gets confirmed – but with his worst result ever. What happened, explained simply.
Want more details? 📖 Read the full in-depth version.
Historic low: Söder shows vulnerability – the party doesn't reward him.
🇬🇧🇺🇸 Quick Context
Markus Söder leads Bavaria and the CSU party – Germany's most powerful regional politician. Think Ron DeSantis or a strong Scottish First Minister, but permanently in the national government. The CSU typically gives their leaders 90%+ votes at conferences.
📌 What Happened
The CSU held its party conference in Munich. Every few years, they vote: Should Markus Söder stay as leader? The answer was yes. But with his worst result ever.
Only 83.6% of delegates (the people who vote) supported him. 104 people voted against him. In the tightly controlled CSU, this is very unusual – normally the leader gets almost all votes.
🔢 The Numbers
- Söder got 83.6% – his worst result as CSU leader
- In 2023, he had 96.6%
- 104 delegates voted against him – a serious rebuke
- In his speech, Söder read out brutal hate messages he receives
😢 The Emotional Moment
During his speech, Söder stopped and read out messages people send him. These included death threats and horrible insults. He wanted to show: Politicians face hatred every day.
This was unusual for Söder, who normally projects strength and confidence. He showed vulnerability.
But the CSU base didn't want vulnerability. They wanted strength and wins.
📉 Why the Bad Result?
Several reasons why many CSU members are unhappy:
- Berlin compromises: Söder must support Chancellor Merz's government. But many decisions (on welfare, heating law) don't please the conservative base.
- AfD won't shrink: The CSU wants to be the rightmost democratic party. But the far-right AfD is still strong in Bavaria. This frustrates the party.
- Too much Söder: The CSU is very centered on one man. There are no visible successors. Some think: This is too much of a one-man-show.
From 96.6% to 83.6% – a significant drop for Söder.
🎤 His Populist Move
To please the base, Söder made a popular demand: Germany should boycott the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC).
His reasoning: "We never win anyway and have to pay for everything."
The crowd loved it – even though it has little to do with actual policy.
🇩🇪 What It Means for Germany
A weak Söder is also a problem for Chancellor Merz. They lead the government together. If Söder is under pressure in Bavaria, he might become more difficult in Berlin. He may demand more for Bavaria – even if it hurts the coalition.
🔍 The Bottom Line
Söder remains CSU leader. But he's wounded. 83.6% shows the party isn't as happy as before. Will he respond with more populism? More distance from Berlin? The coming months will tell.