Bavarian out of German race

Bavarian Premier Markus Soeder ruled out running to succeed Angela Merkel as German chancellor, saying Sunday he wants to focus on leading the southern German state despite a surge in his popularity on the national stage.

Soeder’s standing among voters has been burnished by what is widely perceived as an impressive performance during the coronavirus crisis, and the 53-year-old from Nuremberg is the second-most-popular German politician behind Merkel. He is well ahead of other challengers to succeed her when her term ends in the fall of 2021, according to recent polls.

Soeder heads the Christian Social Union, the Bavarian sister party of Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union. Traditionally, the CDU has fielded the conservative group’s chancellor candidate, and both times a CSU member ran — Franz Josef Strauss in 1980 and Edmund Stoiber in 2002 — they were unsuccessful.

“There are good reasons why the CSU has never provided the chancellor,” Soeder said in an interview with Bild am Sonntag newspaper. “I will help with all my strength to make sure things go well for Germany, but my task is in Bavaria.”

Soeder reiterated his intention of staying put in comments to broadcaster ARD later Sunday. Asked directly whether he would rule out running, he said: “My place is in Bavaria, and so that is clear.”

Possible Merkel successors from the CDU include North Rhine-Westphalia Premier Armin Laschet and former caucus leader Friedrich Merz. Social Democratic Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, who is the vice chancellor in the ruling coalition, and Greens co-leader Robert Habeck are also in the running for the top job.