Söder warns of the federal government's failure after the traffic lights are turned off

In view of the current debate about the future of Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), CSU boss Markus Söder has warned that the federal government will fail. It would be "a disaster" if, after the traffic light failed, the next democratic government also failed shortly afterwards, said the Bavarian Prime Minister before the start of a meeting of the CSU board in Munich.

Söder called on the government coalition to quickly advance the reforms that had been introduced - "don't water everything down now, don't turn it back, don't set it back to zero." Standstill is “the best fuel for the AfD,” said the CSU leader. Söder sees pressure to act particularly with the high energy prices: Developments in Saudi Arabia could mean that the government will have to deal with the issue of energy prices again; Prices are unlikely to remain at their current high level for long.

Fewer mistakes, more concentration

According to Söder, government work must become better and faster, mistakes must be avoided, communication must improve and focus “on the essentials”. “That could be a success.” The election result in Saxony-Anhalt should be seen as a wake-up call, said Söder. Such a wake-up call should not be ignored.

The Saxon Prime Minister and deputy CDU chairman Michael Kretschmer, who is a guest at the closed meeting, also called the election result “a debacle, a disaster.” This did not fall from heaven, but warning voices were not heard.

“We will only be able to win this next federal election with a reasonable democratic majority if we can see that things are changing for the better,” said Kretschmer. There needs to be more talk about content than about personal details.