The voters in the German state of Bavaria elected representatives to their regional Landtag on Sunday. The Christian Social Union (CSU), the conservative Bavarian sister-party of the federal Christian Democratic Union, won the most votes yet lost sixteen seats (Deustche Welle 1). The CSU has governed Bavaria without interruption for decades, but CSU leader Markus Söder must now form a new government without an absolute majority (Deutsche Welle 2). The liberal Free Voters of Bavaria, the left-wing Green Party and the nationalist Alternative for Germany all gained seats in the Landtag from the CSU (Deutsche Welle 1).
Söder vowed to “form a stable government for Bavaria as quickly as possible” and remain State Premier, a position he has exercised since early 2018 (Deutsche Welle 1). He suggested that he may seek to create a coalition with the Free Voters and he refused to consider collaborating with Alternative for Germany (Deutsche Welle 1). German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated on Monday that she will work to “regain voters’ trust” (Deutsche Welle 3), given that her coalition partner, the Social Democrats, also suffered losses in Bavaria (BBC). The CSU honorary chairman stated that his party lost support because non-Bavarian Germans who have migrated to Bavaria do not generally vote for conservative regionalists (Deustche Welle 2).
https://www.dw.com/en/merkels-sister-conservatives-battered-in-bavaria-greens-gain-big/a-45884764
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45867998
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-at-a-crossroads-after-bavarian-poll-debacle/a-45892514
Tags: Germany, elections, Bavaria, Conservative Party