2023-09-03 09:36:07
Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) is holding on to his deputy Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters). In his view, a dismissal would not be proportionate, said Söder on Sunday at a press conference in Munich. Before making his decision, he had a long conversation with Aiwanger. Aiwanger described the allegations in the course of the leaflet affair as a failed political campaign against him.
“It was a dirty mess,” said Aiwanger on Sunday during an election campaign appearance in a beer tent in Grasbrunn (Munich district). “The Free Voters should be weakened.” But the party was “reinforced” by the allegations, said Aiwanger. “We have a clear conscience.” His opponents have failed with their “dirty campaign”. Some of those involved would later have to distance themselves from this “campaign”, said Aiwanger.
Aiwanger had recently had to answer Söder’s extensive list of questions about the allegations in writing. After that, Söder made his decision – as announced. The CSU and Free Voters have always stated that they want to continue their coalition after the election.
New allegations had been raised against the Free Voters boss for a week. A week ago on Saturday, he initially denied in writing that he had written an anti-Semitic leaflet during his school days that the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” had reported on. At the same time, however, he admitted that “one or a few copies” were found in his school bag. Shortly thereafter, Aiwanger’s older brother claimed to have written the pamphlet.
Aiwanger apologized publicly for the first time on Thursday. With regard to the allegations, he stuck to previous statements – in particular that he did not write the leaflet and that he could not remember showing the Hitler salute as a schoolboy. On X (formerly Twitter), he also dismissed the accusation that he had Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” in his school bag as “nonsense”. He either did not comment on other allegations or said that he could neither deny nor confirm them from his memory.
At the same time, the head of the Free Voters counterattacked, complaining about a political campaign against him and his party – which immediately brought him new allegations, for example from the Central Council of Jews.
The fact that Söder is currently sticking with Aiwanger despite everything is likely to be related in particular to the imminent state elections on October 8th. Even if the CSU and Free Voters want to continue their coalition, Söder recently said that coalitions “did not depend on a single person”. “It’s the same with or without a person in state office.” However, the Free Voters stand firmly by their leader. Regardless of the affair, Aiwanger is sometimes celebrated vigorously during election campaign appearances.
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