Verified Evidence: resolved · Fact Lock: locked · QA: pass
Markus Söder used the opening of the CSU party congress to position himself against both the AfD and Die Linke, while warning of a possible coalition failure, according to Handelsblatt.

The CSU leadership wants to commit the party once again to keeping a clear distance from the AfD, Handelsblatt reports. Tagesschau says Söder also pointed to the seriousness of the situation facing the Union.

The two reports, published on October 23, 2026, concern Söder’s appearance at the opening of the CSU congress. Their summaries establish his criticism of both the AfD and Die Linke, but do not provide further details about the event’s location or a separate event date.

Handelsblatt does not specify which coalition Söder meant when warning that it could fail. The Tagesschau summary also says he received the most applause for another subject, but does not identify what that subject was.

SOURCES

  1. HandelsblattCSU-Parteitag: Söder sagt AfD Kampf an – und warnt vor Scheitern der Koalition
  2. TagesschauCSU-Parteitag: Söder fordert Kampf gegen AfD und Linke