Overview
- On ARD’s Caren Miosga on December 7, Markus Söder joined economist Monika Schnitzer and FAZ journalist Julia Löhr to discuss the economy after the Bundestag’s close pension vote.
- Söder called the pension outcome a “Punktlandung” and struck a notably more conciliatory tone toward Chancellor Friedrich Merz, saying he aims to be constructive.
- He ruled out cooperation with the AfD, warned the party seeks to replace the Union, dismissed a minority-government concept, and referred to AfD MPs as “Schmuddelkinder.”
- Pressed on budget priorities, Söder named potential savings in child and youth welfare and in Eingliederungshilfe, and he advocated scrapping the heating law and reforming Bürgergeld.
- Schnitzer described the situation as serious, citing years of declining investment and weakened competitiveness, while Löhr criticized clientelist measures and the failure to deliver broader tax and energy-cost reforms.