Leaflet affair: Markus Söder sticks to Hubert Aiwanger

The Hubert Aiwanger cause presented Markus Söder with a real dilemma. It is now clear: Bavaria’s Prime Minister does not want to dismiss his deputy, despite numerous allegations in the affair about an anti-Semitic leaflet from school days. He announced this at a press conference on Sunday. The editorial network Germany (RND) and the DPA had previously reported.

Söder: A dismissal would not be proportionate

In his view, a dismissal would not be proportionate, said Söder. Before making his decision, he had a long conversation with Aiwanger. Aiwanger’s crisis management was “not happy”. His apology was “not too late”. From his point of view, the matter is off the table, explained Söder.

Söder justified his decision with five points. After evaluating “all the facts available”, it was like this for him in the end, said the CSU boss: “Firstly, he probably made serious mistakes in his youth, which he also admitted. Secondly, he apologized for it, distanced himself from it and also shown remorse.”

And further: “Thirdly: To this day there is no proof that he wrote or distributed the leaflet, but there is his very clear declaration that it wasn’t him. Fourthly: Since the incident back then there has been nothing comparable. Fifth, it was indeed 35 years ago. Hardly any of us are the same today as we were when we were 16.”

The head of the Free Voters had recently had to answer Söder’s extensive list of questions in writing about the allegations. After that, Söder made his decision – as announced. The CSU and Free Voters have always stated that they want to continue their coalition after the election.

Aiwanger: Leaflet allegations as “dirty campaign failed”

Aiwanger himself described the allegations in the course of the leaflet affair almost at the same time as a failed political campaign against him. “It was a dirty mess,” said Aiwanger on Sunday during an election campaign appearance in a beer tent in Grasbrunn (Munich district). “The Free Voters should be weakened.” But the party was “reinforced” by the allegations, said Aiwanger. “We have a clear conscience.” His opponents have failed with their “dirty campaign”.

Some of those involved would later have to distance themselves from this “campaign”, said Aiwanger.

The leaflet affair has been raging for about a week

New allegations had been made against Aiwanger for a week (i.eYou can read about the trials and tribulations of the past few days here). A week ago on Saturday, he initially denied in writing that he had written an anti-Semitic leaflet during his school days that the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” had reported on. At the same time, however, he admitted that “one or a few copies” were found in his school bag. Shortly thereafter, Aiwanger’s older brother claimed to have written the pamphlet.

Aiwanger apologized publicly for the first time on Thursday. With regard to the allegations, he stuck to previous statements – in particular that he did not write the leaflet and that he could not remember showing the Hitler salute as a schoolboy. On X (formerly Twitter), he also dismissed the accusation that he had Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” in his school bag as “nonsense”. He either did not comment on other allegations or said that he could neither deny nor confirm them from his memory.

At the same time, the head of the Free Voters went on the counterattack, complaining about a political campaign against him and his party – which immediately brought him new allegations, for example from the Central Council of Jews.

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated.