Söder vows financial wall against left coalition, warns against AfD influence

At the opening of the CSU congress in Munich, Minister President Markus Söder launched a forceful defence of his party’s centre-right position, attacking both the AfD and a prospective Die Linke-Green-SPD coalition in Berlin. He warned that such a left-wing government would lose federal financial transfers, urging a “brand-mauer” that would deny money to extremist-run states, and announced plans with Baden-Württemberg and Hessen to adopt an “extremist clause” to this effect.

Söder dismissed any partnership with the AfD, saying it would tear the party apart, and pledged that Bavaria would remain a “fortress” against radical parties. He also criticised the Bavarian Greens for staying silent on alleged antisemitism in the Berlin left and warned that the “blue wave” of his party faces a “red front” from the left. The speech framed upcoming elections as a battle for the survival of traditional Volksparteien.