Markus Söder facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Markus Söder
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Söder in 2023
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| Minister-President of Bavaria | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 16 March 2018 |
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| Deputy | Ilse Aigner Hubert Aiwanger |
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| Preceded by | Horst Seehofer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Christian Social Union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 19 January 2019 |
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| General Secretary | Markus Blume Stephan Mayer Martin Huber |
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| Preceded by | Horst Seehofer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| General Secretary of the Christian Social Union |
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| In office 17 November 2003 – 22 October 2007 |
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| Leader | Edmund Stoiber Erwin Huber |
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| Preceded by | Thomas Goppel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Christine Haderthauer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of the Landtag of Bavaria for Nuremberg-East (Nuremberg-West; 1994–2018) |
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| Assumed office 20 October 1994 |
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| Preceded by | Heinz Leschanowsky | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Jochen Kohler | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Markus Thomas Theodor Söder
5 January 1967 Nuremberg, Bavaria, West Germany (now Germany) |
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| Political party | Christian Social Union (since 1983) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Karin Baumüller
(m. 1999) |
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| Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Erlangen–Nuremberg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance |  Germany |
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| Branch/service |  Bundeswehr |
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| Years of service | 1986–1987 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unit |  German Army (Heer) / Transportbataillon 270 |
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Markus Thomas Theodor Söder, born on January 5, 1967, is a German politician. He has been the Minister-President of Bavaria since 2018. He is also the leader of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) party, a role he took on in 2019.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Markus Söder was born in Nuremberg, a city in Bavaria, Germany. His father worked as a building contractor. After finishing high school at the Dürer-Gymnasium in Nuremberg in 1986, Söder completed his required year of military service from 1986 to 1987.
He then went on to study law at the University of Erlangen–Nuremberg starting in 1987. He received a scholarship from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation to help with his studies. In 1991, he passed his first state law exam. He also worked as a research assistant at the university, focusing on constitutional and administrative law.
In 1998, Söder earned his doctorate degree in law. His special research was on legal history, looking at how local laws developed in Bavaria between 1802 and 1818. Before becoming a full-time politician, he worked as a trainee and editor at Bayerischer Rundfunk, a public TV and radio station in Munich, from 1992 to 1994.
Political Journey
Starting in Bavarian Politics
Söder began his political career in 1994 when he became a member of the Landtag of Bavaria, which is the state parliament of Bavaria. From 2003 to 2007, he served as the general secretary of the CSU party. The CSU is a sister party to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) in Bavaria.
During this time, he worked closely with the then-Minister-President and party chairman, Edmund Stoiber. Söder also helped the CSU/CDU team in talks with the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) to form a government after the 2005 federal elections. These talks led to Angela Merkel becoming the Chancellor of Germany.
Söder has held several important roles in the Bavarian government. From 2007 to 2008, he was Bavaria's State Minister for Federal and European Affairs. Then, from 2008 to 2011, he was the State Minister for Environment and Health.
State Minister of Finance (2011–2018)
From 2011 to 2018, Markus Söder served as the Minister of Finance for Bavaria. In this role, he was also one of Bavaria's representatives in the Bundesrat of Germany, which is like Germany's upper house of parliament. He was part of the Finance Committee there.
As finance minister, Söder was in charge of helping the state-backed bank, BayernLB, get back on track. This was important to get approval for financial aid from the European Commission. In 2014, he pushed BayernLB to sell its Hungarian bank unit, which had caused the bank significant losses.
In 2012, Söder and Minister-President Horst Seehofer took legal action. They asked the Federal Constitutional Court to change how money is shared between richer states (like Bavaria) and poorer states in Germany. Söder also led Bavaria to be the first regional government to sue Volkswagen. This was because the state's pension fund lost money due to the company's emissions scandal.
After the 2017 national elections, the CSU party lost many votes. This put pressure on Horst Seehofer. He decided to remain party chairman but agreed to let Söder become the leader of Bavaria. This change was the result of a long-standing disagreement between Söder and Seehofer.
Minister-President of Bavaria (2018–Present)
In March 2018, lawmakers in Bavaria officially elected Markus Söder as the new Minister-President. He took over from Horst Seehofer, who became the Federal Interior Minister. Söder received 99 out of 169 votes from the state deputies.
In the Bavarian State Election in October 2018, the CSU party, with Söder as their top candidate, had its lowest result since 1950. They received 37% of the votes, which was a big drop from 2013. Because of this, Söder had to form a coalition government with another party, the Free Voters of Bavaria. In January 2019, CSU members voted for Söder to replace Seehofer as their party leader. He won with a large majority of 87.4 percent.
Possible Candidate for Chancellor
After the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany began, many people thought Markus Söder might become a candidate to replace Angela Merkel as Chancellor in the 2021 German federal election. A poll in May 2020 showed that 53% of Germans supported him as the CDU/CSU's Chancellor candidate. At that time, his approval ratings in Bavaria were over 90%.
In January 2021, Armin Laschet was elected as the CDU chairman. He and Söder were seen as the main people who might run for Chancellor. As the competition grew in March and April 2021, Söder had the support of the CSU and some local CDU groups. However, Laschet had the support of most of the CDU. They couldn't agree by April 19, so the federal CDU board met. They voted 31 to 9 in favor of Laschet. After the vote, Söder announced his support for Laschet as the Chancellor candidate.
On June 21, 2021, Söder and Laschet presented their joint election plan for the CSU and CDU parties. The plan focused on fighting pandemics and climate change. It also aimed to protect prosperity and freedom. They wanted to create a Germany that is open to the world and works for both modernization and green policies.
In September 2021, Söder was reelected as the chairman of the CSU. He won 87.6 percent of the votes at a party meeting in Nuremberg. In September 2024, Söder announced his support for Friedrich Merz as the Union's candidate for Chancellor in the 2025 federal election.
Other Activities
Markus Söder has also been involved in various other organizations:
- He is the chairman of the supervisory board for Munich Airport.
- He is also the chairman of the supervisory board for Nuremberg Airport since 2017.
- He has been a member of the board of trustees for the Bavarian Research Foundation.
- He is a member of the board of trustees for the Deutsches Museum.
- He is also a member of the board of trustees for the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU).
- Söder is a member of the advisory board for the football club 1. FC Nürnberg since 2011.
Political Views
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European Integration
During the Greek government-debt crisis, Söder was one of the strongest voices saying that Greece should leave the Eurozone. In 2012, he said that Athens should be an example that the Eurozone can be strict. In early 2018, Söder also said he was against adding countries like Bulgaria and Romania to the Eurozone. He was also against creating Eurobonds or a European finance minister position.
Domestic Policy
In 2018, Söder's government introduced the Kreuzpflicht. This rule requires crosses to be displayed at the entrance of public buildings in Bavaria. Söder has said that these crosses are not just Christian symbols. He sees them as symbols of Bavarian cultural identity. During his campaign for the 2018 state elections, Söder wanted to appeal to people who like traditional ways. He also wanted to show that Bavaria is a high-tech state, promising a new space program and faster internet.
Immigration
During the European migrant crisis, Söder strongly criticized the immigration policies of Angela Merkel. He warned that there was a "huge security gap" because many migrants' locations were unknown. He also doubted that so many people could successfully integrate into society. Söder believed that Germans did not want a multicultural society. He felt that refugees should return to their home countries if possible. He said Chancellor Merkel's phrase "We can do it" was "not the right signal." Instead, he suggested "We have understood."
COVID-19 Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, Söder was the first Minister-President to announce a lockdown in his state. His handling of the pandemic made him more popular. This led to him being considered a possible candidate for Chancellor in 2021. In late 2021, there was some debate about low vaccination rates in Bavaria. Söder supported mandatory vaccinations.
Family Policy
In a July 2020 interview, Söder expressed his support for same-sex marriage in Germany.
Personal Life
Markus Söder has been married to Karin Baumüller since 1999. Karin Baumüller is one of the owners of the Baumüller Group, a company in Nuremberg that makes electric automation and drive systems. Markus and Karin have three children together. Söder also has a daughter from an earlier relationship.
Söder is a member of the Protestant Church in Germany and describes himself as a "believer." He is also known for wearing fun and elaborate costumes during the carnival season, like dressing up as Shrek or Marilyn Monroe.
See also
In Spanish: Markus Söder para niños
