Söder mocks Lang and Kühnert with dog jokes

As always, Markus Söder didn't skimp on the political Ash Wednesday. But the CSU boss also had to take a hit.

Passau – On political Ash Wednesday, as always, there was swearing and joking. Of course, there were also swipes at political opponents. CSU boss and Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder in particular did not mince his words during his party's event in the Dreiländerhalle in Passau. “I can say to the friends and experts of political correctness: If you have a concern, then switch off, then switch over,” Söder announced at the beginning of his speech. “Because the sentence applies: Attention, attention, this is the CSU.”

Political Ash Wednesday of the CSU: Söder mocks Lang and Klingbeil with dog jokes

Söder started. After supposedly important topics such as the defense of the Bavarian white sausage or the desire for a Bavarian flag on the moon, things got more and more down to business. First, Söder shot against the leadership of the Greens. “Habeck, Baerbock and Ms. Lang finally need a break,” demanded the CSU boss in his speech. Everything is still relatively harmless. But Ricarda Lang in particular wasn't supposed to get away with it that easily.

Probably the nastiest swipe in Söder's entire speech followed shortly afterwards – and included not only the federal chair of the Greens but also Kevin Kühnert from the SPD. “What makes my dog ​​Molly different from Kevin Kühnert and Ricarda Lang?” he asked the audience. “My dog has a completed training, dear friends. Training to be a protection dog,” he sneered. The hall roared. Söder later published the excerpt from his speech on the news platform X (formerly Twitter).

Klingbeil spoke for the first time on political Ash Wednesday: a swipe at Söder

The Bavarian Prime Minister took off his boots for more than an hour: against the federal government and for quick new elections, against other Green politicians and all black-green considerations, against individual traffic light top politicians, but also against Free Voters leader Hubert Aiwanger and finally fervently against the AfD. On this political Ash Wednesday, the party chairman presented himself much more aggressively than in previous years.

Other party events on Wednesday were more moderate. SPD leader Lars Klingbeil gave his first political Ash Wednesday speech at the Bavarian SPD in Vilshofen near Passau. In the middle of it all, he also made a comeback against Markus Söder. “I think you deserve better than this political simulator at the top of the country.” There was loud cheering in the tent. Otherwise, the co-party leader found rather sharp words for the AfD. Klingbeil called the controversial party “right-wing extremist wimps” at one point in his speech. Eventually he even became humble and self-critical. He also hears criticism of the traffic lights at demonstrations against right-wing extremism. “And yes, I take this seriously.” (nz with dpa material)