After Angela Merkel pledged to retire as the head of her CDU party, Horst Seehofer has confirmed he will also step down as leader of Bavaria's CSU. However, he intends to remain Germany's interior minister for now.
Image: Imago/A. Pohl
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Germany's Interior Minister Horst Seehofer confirmed he will quit as the head of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party to Angela Merkel's CDU.
Seehofer confirmed this on Monday, during a visit to a police office in the hilltop town of Bautzen in eastern Saxony.
Party officials had been told of his intentions over the weekend and there were rumors Seehofer might also resign from his role as interior minister. But speaking to reporters on Monday he denied these reports.
"I am the federal interior minister and will continue to serve in that role," he said.
Seehofer said he was stepping down to make way for a renewal within the CSU. He also said that the party's poor performance in last month's state elections in Bavaria was not "the main reason" for his resignation.
The 69-year-old said the exact timing of his resignation was still not certain and that he would announce more details later this week.
Merkel and Seehofer in March 2018Image: picture-alliance/dpa/W. Kumm
A new party leader is due to be elected at a conference early next year.
Seehofer has led the CSU for a decade, and only recently stepped aside as the top politician at state level in Bavaria, making room for Markus Söder. Söder is considered the front-runner to succeed Seehofer, despite the pair's uneasy relationship.
A leader under pressure
The poor performance of the CSU in Bavaria brought immense pressure on the party leadership. The party stayed on top of the polls with 37.2 percent of the vote but lost its absolute majority in the state assembly. Its share of the vote dipped 10.5 percent compared with the 2013 election.
Over the last few months, Seehofer's routine clashes with Chancellor Angela Merkel and disputes within the government coalition have also caused tensions with the CDU and the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Two main points of contention: immigration policy and Seehofer's support of disgraced intelligence chief Hans-Georg Maassen.
The political reactions
The SPD's reaction to Seehofer's announcement was not long in coming. The Vice-President of the Bundestag and SPD member Thomas Oppermann told the Rheinische Post post daily newpaper that Seehofer should resign as interior minister.
"Horst Seehofer should now show some attitude and take responsibility for his serious political mistakes," Oppermann said.
Calls for Seehofer's resignation from the ministry also came from outside the government coalition.
Robert Habeck, head of the opposition Green Party, criticized Seehofer's decision to stay on as interior minister.
He told radio channel Radioeins he considered Seehofer "the wrong person to hold the role of interior minister, and he has proved this sufficiently over the last six months."
CSU: Who could replace Bavaria's King Horst?
Bavaria's premier and Christian Social Union leader Horst Seehofer vowed to "fight like a lion" at the failed coalition talks. But that may have been his last roar. So who's waiting in the wings to replace him?
Image: picture alliance/dpa/P. Kneffel
Something to take away the pain
Horst Seehofer (right) has effectively lived, breathed and eaten CSU values, probably since he was born. The 69-year-old has been at the helm of the party and Bavaria since 2008 and has, thus far, staved off challenges to his throne by young upstarts such as Markus Söder (left). More on him a little later. But in the wake of a crushing September election result, Seehofer may no longer be tenable.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow
Seehofer hinted at his resignation following the CSU debacle in Bavaria in October 2018. Later, when German media cited sources close to him to report he would soon step down, Seehofer denied it. Just days later, he reportedly told top CSU members he would relinquish his office, and probably step down as interior minister at a later date.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Stein
'I get knocked down, but I get up again'
Lyrics from what is possibly Markus Söder's favorite tune. One of the pretenders to Seehofer's throne, the finance minister has been forging alliances within the CSU to prop up his position as the next-in-line. Problem is, his boss doesn't see it that way and quite frankly doesn't like him. Standing in front of the Acropolis might be the pinnacle for him — akro is Greek for "highest point."
Image: Jörg Koch/Bayeriches Finanzministerium/dpa
Let's see what this button does
Arguably the smoothest of the CSU's smooth operators, Alexander Dobrindt has made a name for himself at the national level as transport minister — but not necessarily for the right reasons: Dieselgate, a controversial road toll and the farce that is the planned Berlin-Brandenburg airport, to be completed in...oh, stop it. Anyway, Seehofer seems to like him and his checkered suits.
Image: Getty Images/J. Schlueter
Into the light
Unassuming but not to be underestimated, Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann is respected beyond the state and was touted to head up the federal Interior Ministry before it all went pear-shaped. He's known for his tough stance on a refugee cap, an issue dear to his boss Seehofer's heart. His age, 61, may count against him if the CSU really does want to rejuvenate.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Nietfeld
You think my hat looks silly? Look behind me
While she may need to work on her hat choices, deputy premier and Bavarian Economics Minister Ilse Aigner at least has a clear idea of what she wants politically. She's positioned herself as a possible Seehofer successor, much to his chagrin, by calling for a primary to decide on who should lead the CSU in next year's state election.
Image: Getty Images/J. Simon
I'll get my coat then
Manfred Weber heads the European People's Party in the European Parliament — don't fall asleep just yet. While that would normally exclude him from new pastures within the CSU, on the grounds of being boring, he's seen as one of Seehofer's key confidants and has defended his boss against attacks from the CSU's youth wing. He's been a steadying influence within the party.
Image: Imago/Sven Simon
The Dark Knight rises
Remember Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg? He of the slicked-back, jet-black hair and a plagiarized dissertation? The thing is, the people in Bavaria love him and Germany arguably never had a cooler-looking defense minister. But, more importantly, Seehofer has made no attempts to hide his admiration and sees Guttenberg as his and the party's natural hair, er, heir.
