Söder Presents Ten-Point Plan: CSU Board Struggles for Unity

Weakest Local Election Result in 74 Years

The initiative comes at a time when the CSU is grappling with its weakest result in 74 years in the first round of the March local elections. In the runoffs, the party lost about a dozen district administrator offices. In the 2023 state election, the CSU had reached 37 percent – the lowest result since 1950, which at the time only sufficed for a majority thanks to coalition partner Free Voters under the leadership of Hubert Aiwanger. Söder assessed the 37 percent in polls as a "sehr starken Wert in diesen Zeiten."

The trigger for the current debate is a "Whitsun letter" from CSU deputy chair Manfred Weber, in which he had called for greater programmatic sharpness in the party's profile. Alexander Hoffmann, chairman of the CSU state group in the Bundestag, stated that Weber's letter had been perceived in the board and in the state group as an "Irritation," as "maximal verunglückt." Klaus Holetschek, chairman of the CSU state parliamentary group, said it was good "dass wir uns keine Briefe heute geschrieben haben."

Weber's "Whitsun Letter" Causes Displeasure

Söder himself described the ten-point plan as his own initiative. "Ich hatte mir das schon vorher überlegt," he said with regard to the question about Weber's letter. When asked about his deputy, Söder evasively referred to him once as "dem Kollegen" and a second time as "jemand." Weber, who as a European politician traveled directly to Strasbourg after the meeting, stated that he was pleased that Söder was "jetzt schon die Debatte mit konkreten Ankündigungen aufnehme" and that his letter was producing "erste Ergebnisse." At the same time, he had emphasized in the board that there could be "kein Weiter-so" after the local election result.

State parliament member Tobias Reiß advocated for open dealings with one another before the meeting. "Wir müssen offen miteinander reden, wir müssen Respekt voreinander haben. Man kann zum Beispiel auch Geschlossenheit oder Zusammenhalt nicht verordnen," he said. Söder pointed to the CSU's role as the smaller partner in the Berlin coalition and warned: "Streit schwächt. Einigkeit stärkt." In terms of content, he simultaneously formulated the aspiration to govern rather than brood: "Nicht sinnieren, sondern regieren ist entscheidend. Parteien, die nur suchen, wirken am Ende hilflos."

Söder's Power Base and Public Reorientation

Observers point out that Söder has filled leading party offices with trusted associates over the years and thus built a broad power base in the CSU. In December, he had been confirmed as CSU chairman with his weakest result to date. Most recently, Söder had also attracted attention with publicly visible changes: he ended his social media series "#söderisst," toned down his rhetoric, shaved off his beard, and appeared more frequently wearing a tie.

Outlook on the 2028 State Election

The next Bavarian state election is scheduled for 2028. Given the AfD's strength in the Free State, the in-party directional dispute in the CSU is considered to be both programmatically and strategically charged. Historical parallels have also faded into the background in recent times: former CSU chairmen such as Horst Seehofer and Edmund Stoiber came under pressure when belief in the party waned. In the current case, Söder is attempting to counter this with structural measures and a demonstrative address of unity.

With the ten-point plan, Söder wants to channel the in-party discourse before it tips into an open leadership crisis. Whether the announced grassroots formats – from digital surveys to conferences to the "think tank" – will actually deliver new programmatic impulses remains to be seen. What is certain is that the CSU must reorient itself after the local election disaster and before the 2028 state election, and that Weber's "Whitsun letter" marks a turning point in this process that Söder can no longer ignore.