Overview
- Martin Geilhufe, 41, the BN’s state commissioner, is the sole candidate and is expected to win by a large majority at a special assembly in Fürth on Saturday.
- The vote concludes a roughly year-long vacancy after chair Richard Mergner, 64, opted against re‑election for health reasons stemming from post‑Covid symptoms.
- Geilhufe signals a strategy of countering a drift toward populism by CSU and Free Voters while keeping lines of dialogue with government open.
- With about 269,000 members and formal consultation and litigation rights, the Bund Naturschutz remains Bavaria’s most influential environmental association.
- Looking back on his tenure, Mergner highlights the 2023 shutdown of the Isar 2 nuclear plant and the “Rettet die Bienen” referendum as landmark successes.