Where other politicians exercise restraint, the CSU politician consciously violates the boundaries of good taste. But what many see as embarrassing seems to benefit him.
He doesn’t just cuddle with pandas, dances to Abba or flirty in flashy Christmas sweaters. Now Markus Söder is giving away his own face to his followers on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Tiktok – it is emblazoned on an oversized chocolate Easter egg. The Bavarian Prime Minister’s self-dramatization is met with ridicule and recognition online. But there may also be political calculations behind it.
In the video published on Easter Sunday, the minister stands behind the giant egg and says: “Hi, it’s Easter. I didn’t find a sweater for Easter, but I did find a super Easter egg, a mega Easter egg made of chocolate. It smells wonderful.” If you want it, please comment on the post. The candy will then be raffled off among those commenting.
Between encouragement and malice on social networks
Reactions to the video are mixed. “I need the Chancellor’s egg,” reads a comment on Tiktok. The reaction to And it shows clearly what kind of narcissist you are!” writes one user there.
The CSU politician is expanding his own holiday tradition – and showing that he knows how to use the mechanisms of social networks. At Christmas he usually presents himself to his followers in a festive sweater, either with a Christmas “Star Wars” or FC Nuremberg motif. Conservatively, the clip with the Söder egg reached more than half a million people on Sunday.
With the ironic tone of the Easter video, Söder stands out from the political competition: Both Chancellor Olaf Scholz as well as the green one Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck have also published Easter greetings in video format. However, with regard to Ukraine, both emphasize the desire for peace. Scholz is thus manifesting his newfound role as peace chancellor.
In addition to emphasizing privacy, Green Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also relies on seriousness: from her home garden with a nest full of home-colored Easter eggs, she reiterates that hope is necessary “given the world situation”. There are currently no Easter greetings from CDU leader Friedrich Merz on social platforms. However, in his monthly newsletter he wished a “peaceful and happy Easter”.
Headlines and ridicule for Söder’s visit to China
Few German politicians have internalized the power of images as much as Markus Söder. At the end of March, the Prime Minister polarized people with photos taken during his trip to China.
Söder courageously kisses a plush panda. The stuffed animal was given to him by Communist Party Secretary Wang Xiaohui. The trained television editor Söder was sure of the headlines: “A Bavarian in China,” was the headline in the “Tagesspiegel.” “Is Bavaria becoming too small for him?” asked the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. Bayerischer Rundfunk raved about “fluff and financial equalization,” dedicating a total of six texts to the minister’s trip.
Söder has been one of the most popular politicians for years
The idea of panda diplomacy is all too obvious on such excursions. And Söder actually tried to align himself with former Prime Minister Franz Josef Strauss on his X account: “We do real politics instead of moral politics. We have been considered a reliable partner since Franz Josef Strauss.” Strauss also tried to gain influence in foreign policy through state visits.
Söder’s productions are repeatedly met with criticism. The SPD politician Michael Roth, for example, sharply criticized the visit to China in the “Tagesspiegel”: “Markus Söder is not only counteracting the foreign policy of Germany and the EU. He is exposing his proud country to ridicule.” Roth also said: “The Bavarian Prime Minister is making himself a willing companion of autocrats and the laughing stock of political professionals. Cui bono? Simply no one.”
But Söder’s behavior resonates with the population. The Bavarian Christian Socialist has been one of the most popular politicians in Germany for years. He is currently in third place on the likeability scale. Only NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst and SPD Defense Minister Boris Pistorius are ahead of him.