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Bavarian premier Markus Söder is facing a barrage of criticism after deciding to stand by a senior minister embroiled in allegations of antisemitism.
The Christian Social Union (CSU) leader has been accused of undermining Germany’s commitment to atoning for the Holocaust by refusing to jettison his deputy prime minister, Hubert Aiwanger, after he admitted possessing copies of a pamphlet that made jokes about Nazi concentration camps when he was a schoolboy.
Söder, who is up for re-election in Germany’s largest state next month, said Aiwanger’s answers to questions about the leaflet were “not all satisfactory”.
But he said firing Aiwanger would be “disproportionate” and made clear that he wanted to maintain his coalition with Aiwanger’s conservative Free Voters after the poll on October 8, in which the CSU is expected to claim first place. He stressed that he would not work with the Greens — an unappealing alternative for the centre-right CSU.
Söder on Monday won the backing of Friedrich Merz, the leader of the CSU’s sister party, the Christian Democratic Union, who said in a joint appearance with the Bavarian prime minister at a local festival that he had done the “right thing” in the face of a difficult situation.
But he faced a wall of opprobrium from politicians on other parts of the political spectrum, who warned that his handling of the affair — which comes amid a nationwide surge in support for the far right Alternative for Germany (AfD)— risked damaging the country’s longstanding and painful efforts to overcome its Nazi past.
The interior minister Nancy Faeser, a Social Democrat, said Aiwanger’s decision to declare himself as a victim was pushing the limits of what was acceptable in German politics, adding: “This is how you shift boundaries that should not be shifted.”
The Green vice-chancellor, Robert Habeck, said Söder’s decision was “unfortunately not a good one”.
“This is not about the youthful sins of his coalition partner, but ultimately about the basic consensus of this republic, which every federal and state government must fully protect,” he said.
Aiwanger, 52, has admitted that his school bag contained “one or a few” copies of the pamphlet, which took the form of a contest to choose the “biggest traitor to the fatherland”, offering prizes such as “free flight up the Auschwitz chimney” and the fourth a “one-year stay in Dachau”. But he has denied writing it. Instead, his older brother has claimed authorship.
Söder, a heavyweight of centre-right politics who is widely seen as a contender in the battle for chancellor at the next nationwide elections in 2025, on Sunday published 25 questions that he had presented to his deputy along with the answers.
Aiwanger described the incident as a “dramatic” moment in his youth. But he also claimed to be unable to remember a string of key details.
Söder, who said Aiwanger had apologised “late but not too late”, called on him to show remorse and learn from the experience.
But shortly after the press conference given by the Bavarian prime minister, Aiwanger lashed out at what he called a “dirty campaign” by the media and political opponents, in language that critics have described as reminiscent of populists such as Donald Trump.
Aiwanger was on Monday greeted with cheers and shouts of “Hubert” as he arrived to make a speech at the Gillamoos festival where Söder and Merz also appeared.