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Another shake-up for German politics as CSU’s Horst Seehofer set to quit

Horst Seehofer has announced he will step down as leader of the Bavarian Christian Socialists (CSU), the sister party of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU). It's the latest shake-up in the changing landscape of German politics.

Another shake-up for German politics as CSU’s Horst Seehofer set to quit
Horst Seehofer on Monday. Photo: DPA

The headline in German publication Zeit Online said it all: “Na, endlich.” – 'Well, finally.”

Since the CSU suffered historic losses in the Bavaria elections last month, there's been speculation on the 69-year-old's future in politics. 

Now there's a bit more clarity.

Speaking to reporters in Bautzen, Saxony, on Monday Seehofer confirmed his decision to quit as head of CSU, which he has led since 2008. 

“I will resign as party leader – this decision has been made”, he said, reported Zeit Online.

However, he denied a planned resignation from his role as Interior Ministry before his term ends in 2021, which some German publications had been speculating on.

“I am the Federal Minister of the Interior and will continue to hold this office. The office of the Federal Minister of the Interior is in no way affected by this decision,” he said.

On Sunday evening, Seehofer had informed top CSU leaders of his decision. The information was leaked to the press shortly after.

German media reported that he would step down at the beginning of 2019 and that a new leader would be elected at a special party conference.

However, Seehofer said that the timeline of his resignation as CSU leader had not yet been determined. A decision and statement will be released this week.

After he leaves, it's most likely that Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder will take the top spot in the CSU party. 

SEE ALSO: A new chapter begins in Bavaria after historic CSU losses – can the party stay afloat?

Why now?

Seehofer's resignation is not a huge surprise. He's been facing mounting pressure from party members to quit since the disastrous election results achieved by the CSU in the state elections in Bavaria on October 14th. 

The party dropped 10 percentage points, to achieve 37.2%, its worst result since the 1950s.

The CSU is now dependent on the Free Voters as coalition partners after losing its absolute majority.

But there's more. Seehofer tried out some risky tactics recently, including threatening to quit if Germany didn't take a tougher stance on migrants and refugees.

Although he hoped it would win back right-wing voters who had drifted away from the party in the direction of Alternative for Germany (AfD), he was criticized for endangering the coalition and making Germany unstable.

SEE ALSO: Analysis – Is one man about to collapse German politics as we know it?

Meanwhile, the case of Hans-Georg Maaßen, the former head of Germany's domestic security intelligence agency, has also been a thorn in the side of Seehofer.

The CSU leader stood by Maaßen after he gave an interview to a newspaper, contradicting Angela Merkel and the government. 

After Maaßen was sacked and controversially promoted, a deal was eventually reached where the domestic intelligence specialist would become an adviser in the Interior Ministry office. 

But after Maaßen's farewell speech, in which he took aim at the government, came to light, he lost the role that Seehofer had found for him.

The whole debacle caused some damage to Seehofer's reputation. 

SEE ALSO: Why Germany's controversial spy chief is finally being pushed out

The debate over Seehofer's future was further fuelled – and his resignation likely accelerated – by Chancellor Angela Merkel's announcement that she would hand over the CDU chairmanship in December.

Many commentators believed it was high time that Seehofer gave up his power too. 

DPA reported that almost all CSU district chairmen spoke of a devastating mood at grassroots level at the internal CSU meeting on Sunday
 
It's clear party members think it's time for change.
 
Meanwhile, Seehofer is facing calls from political opponents to quit immediately, rather than on his terms. 

The Greens in the Bundestag demanded his immediate resignation from the Interior Ministry. “Every day that Horst Seehofer remains Interior Minister is one day too many,”  faction leader Katrin Göring-Eckardt told the Tagesspiegel on Monday. 

SEE ALSO: The end of an era: What you need to know about Merkel's planned departure

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TERRORISM

How does Germany warn people about the threat of terrorist attacks?

Following the recent terrorist attack in Moscow, France has shifted onto the highest possible alert level for terrorist threats. Why doesn't Germany use a similar system - and how does it alert people instead?

How does Germany warn people about the threat of terrorist attacks?

Since the brutal terrorist attack on a Berlin Christmas Market back in December 2016, fears of Islamist terror seem to have receded into the background – through far-right terror has remained prevalent.

But the recent terror attack on a concert hall in Moscow, which has been attributed to a branch of IS, has heightened fears of a resurgence of Islamist violence.

In contrast to neighbouring countries, Germany doesn’t use a national terror alert system to ‘grade’ the threat of terror – but it does have another system for protecting its population and warning people. 

Here’s what you need to know about Germany’s approach to tracking threats of terrorism. 

How does Germany manage the threat of terror? 

According to the Interior Ministry, rather than relying on a system of color-coded alert levels, German security authorities take a more decentralised approach.

The Federal Criminal Police Office regularly conducts assessments of terrorist threats, which are then shared with the leaders of the federal states. If there’s a significant increase in the overall risk assessment or a specific threat emerges, the government puts “appropriate security measures” in place, the Interior Ministry states.

Unlike centralised systems in countries like France, where national threat levels are analysed and shared with the public, security responsibilities in Germany are largely decentralised, resting with individual states.

Why doesn’t Germany use terror alert levels?

When it comes to using national terror alerts to alert citizens, the Interior Ministry remains sceptical, arguing that the threat level can vary significantly between regions and even within cities.

According to the Ministry, having uniform alert levels nationwide might give the false impression that the danger is uniform everywhere, which would lead to higher levels of panic and uncertainty among citizens. 

READ ALSO: How prepared is Germany in the event of a military attack?

While alert levels could theoretically serve as a means to reach the population, ARD terrorism expert Michael Götschenberg points out that their effectiveness diminishes over time. People tend to become desensitised to frequent high alert levels, which causes people to ‘switch off’ and ultimately ignore potential threats.

Mourner at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin

A man stands in front of the memorial to the victims of the Islamist terrorist attack on Breitscheidplatz in December 2026. The Christmas Market attack was the last major Islamist attack in Germany. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

One of the main factors that renders colour-coded alerts less useful is the fact that “the levels are not linked to specific rules of behaviour for the population”, Götschenberg told Tagesschau.

Austria, for example, raised its alert level last November but emphasised that the public didn’t need to alter their behaviour in any way. This reflects authorities’ belief that the best way to fight terrorism is for the population to show resilience and refuse to give into fear.

How high is the threat of terror attacks in Germany?

In the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Moscow, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) has described the current threat of Islamist terror as “acute”.

However, the attack has not significantly changed the authorities’ perceptions of the situation. In fact, the threat was defined as acute before the latest attacks and remains so afterwards.

Several other countries, including the UK and the US, have already put out warnings for potential terrorist attacks to citizens who are considering travelling to Germany. In the UK, for example, the government cites recent attacks such as the shootings in Hanau shisha bars back in 2020 and the knife attack in Dresden the same year.

“Terrorists are very likely to try and carry out attacks in Germany,” states the official government advice, which adds that restaurants, markets, shopping centres and places of worship could be chosen for potential attacks. 

So, how will the public be warned if a plans for a specific attack become known? As well as offering general information about terrorist threat levels, the government will also release specifics that it feels are necessary for the public safety.

For example, when the authorities suspected an attack was being planned in the area around Cologne cathedral ahead of Christmas last year, warnings were sent out to residents of the city. 

On Tuesday, Faeser also revealed that she would put additional border controls in place during the European Football Championships in June and July this year. 

READ ALSO: Germany announces border controls for European Football Championship

The focus will be on protecting the country from Islamists, political extremists and other violent criminals during the competition.

“We are keeping an eye on the current threats,” Faeser told the regional Rheinische Post. 

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