A little more than three weeks after the state elections, Markus Söder was re-elected Bavarian Prime Minister. The CSU leader received the necessary simple majority of votes in the state parliament in Munich with 120 yes votes in the secret vote. A total of 198 MPs cast their votes, 76 voted against Söder and there were two abstentions.
Söder’s election was the only item on the agenda at the meeting. Thanks to the stable majority of CSU and Free Voters, Söder’s new election is a pure formality. The two government factions together have 122 of the total 203 representatives – two representatives from the CSU and Free Voters were missing from the vote.
In office since 2018
This is Söder’s third election as prime minister. He was elected to office for the first time in March 2018 as the successor to Horst Seehofer. At that time, the CSU still had the absolute majority of representatives. After the state elections the following October, Söder was elected for the second time in November, this time with votes from the Free Voters who governed with the CSU. In the secret vote, Söder received 110 yes votes and 89 no votes with three abstentions, who thus achieved the necessary simple majority of the valid votes cast in the first round of voting.
However, the formation of a government in Bavaria is not yet complete. Next week, on November 8th, the new cabinet is to be sworn in in the state parliament. Who will move into the cabinet for the CSU has not yet been officially announced.
The Free Voters, for their part, had already announced last Thursday after the coalition agreement was signed that, in addition to party leader Hubert Aiwanger (Economy), Thorsten Glauber (Environment), Anna Stolz (Culture) and Fabian Mehring (Digital) would also receive ministerial positions. Tobias Gotthard is to become the new Secretary of State for Economic Affairs.
Söder promotes fairness among Democrats
After his re-election, Söder campaigned for unity and fairness among Democrats in the Bavarian state parliament. The more serious the times and the more difficult the challenges, the more important it is for Democrats to stick together, said the CSU leader in his first speech.
“We are in serious times.” It is the job of politics to give people support and hope. Party tactical considerations would have to take a back seat. “We are there primarily for the people and not for ourselves.” Alluding to the Corona crisis in the last electoral period, he emphasized: “In the most difficult times, the solidarity here with large parts of the opposition was greatest.”
With a view to the new legislative period, Söder announced a policy that places great value on people’s freedom. “We will do everything we can to ensure that Bavaria retains its character as a strong, stable country, as a modern democracy.”
The motto “Live and let live” will continue to apply in Bavaria in the future. Söder thanked the MPs for his election: It was a great honor for him to enjoy the trust of the large majority of the state parliament. The government will meet all the voters’ expectations.
