Politics · Germany · 9 hrs ago
CSU meets with strong Bavaria poll numbers and open leadership questions
The CSU is meeting for its party conference in Munich as Germany’s conservative parties face political challenges.
Two recent polls put the Bavarian party at 36% and 37%, close to its result in the 2023 state election.
That performance sets the CSU apart from the wider Union, whose support has fallen, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz is unpopular in Bavaria.
CSU leader and Bavarian premier Markus Söder is presenting his party as a source of stability, though some CSU supporters see him as a better choice than Merz.
Another unresolved question is whether current state parliament president Ilse Aigner could become Germany’s next president, a possibility Söder has publicly supported.
The conference includes speeches by Söder and Merz, but the party’s key personnel questions remain unsettled.
The CSU is holding steady in Bavaria while support for the CDU is falling in national and state-level polls.
The CSU has polling support of 36% and 37%, close to its result in Bavaria’s 2023 state election.
The party is meeting in Munich on Friday and Saturday amid questions about its standing and future leadership.
CSU leader Markus Söder is presenting the party as stable while the CDU faces a worsening polling trend.
The articles describe discussion about Ilse Aigner’s possible future as Germany’s president and Söder’s relationship with Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
- Who
- Bavaria’s CSU, led by Markus Söder, and Germany’s CDU, led by Friedrich Merz.
- What
- The CSU is holding steady in polls as CDU support falls.
- When
- The party meeting is taking place Friday and Saturday; the articles were published on October 22 and 23, 2026.
- Where
- Munich, Bavaria.
- Why
- The articles link the contrast to the CSU’s stable polling and the CDU’s declining support; they do not state a single cause.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
n-tv reported that the CSU had 37% support in Bavaria and that the CDU was falling in polls.
t-online reported that the CSU party conference was beginning in Munich.
- CSU polling
- 36% and 37% in two polls
- 2023 Bavarian state election
- The CSU’s recent polling was close to its election result
- Party conference
- Friday and Saturday in Munich
- CDU poll result without CSU
- 13.5%, according to a Bild poll cited by n-tv
- Ilse Aigner
- 61-year-old Bavarian state parliament president discussed as a possible candidate for Germany’s president
4 sources
What people are saying
Gerade in Zeiten der Ängste und Unsicherheit müssen wir als CSU Ansprechpartner Nummer eins für die Bürgerinnen und Bürger sein.
Jetzt müssen wir einfach mal durchhalten.
Markus Söder hat einen Vorteil: Niemand sonst will so gern Kanzler werden wie er.