Söder inspires at the CSU's New Year's reception in Marktoberdorf!

Söder inspires at the CSU's New Year's reception in Marktoberdorf!

The CSU Ostallgäu's New Year's reception took place on January 15, 2026 in Marktoberdorf and attracted around 350 guests, including many prominent faces of Bavarian politics. Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder, who appeared as the keynote speaker, took the opportunity to address both social and political issues. His appearance was accompanied by CSU district chairman Andreas Kaufmann and district council candidate Andreas Bauer, both of whom sat on the podium. What was special was the presence of CSU mayoral candidate Thorsten Krebs and Buchloe's mayor Robert Pöschl, who enriched the reception together with Söder.

The event was accompanied by the sounds of a brass band performance with former students of the agricultural school in Kaufbeuren and ended with a festive ending with the Bavarian song and the German national anthem. In a meeting atmosphere, Kaufmann Söder presented a gift basket with regional specialties, which underlined the connection to the region. Söder used the stage to praise Kaufmann's commitment in the state parliament and to outline a positive vision for Bavaria in the high-tech sector.

A look at the challenges

Söder spoke openly about global developments and challenges that particularly affect relations with the USA and China. He emphasized the need to strengthen Germany's defense capacity and expressed critical views on the influence of NGOs on political decisions. Current social hotspots such as the gender debate and the effects of the corona pandemic were also discussed.

“The traffic light has no feeling for the south,” Söder sharply criticized the current government coalition and called for greater consideration of Bavarian concerns. Based on the homogeneous landscape of the Allgäu, he also promised to further support agriculture and thus promote cohesion among the rural population.

Political future in Ostallgäu

Another central point of the evening was the nomination of Andreas Bauer as district administrator candidate for the Ostallgäu CSU. The 43-year-old was elected with a fantastic 98.7 percent of the votes from 80 delegates at the Marktoberdorf Music Academy. Bauer was touched by the support and emphasized that he would like to use the opportunity to actively shape and implement changes. In doing so, he would like to counteract the region's challenges, such as the shortage of skilled workers and the refugee crisis, which District Administrator Maria Rita Zinnecker had previously described as urgent.

The CSU Ostallgäu has a lot in the pipeline, both with a view to the upcoming elections and current social issues. At a successful New Year's reception it became clear once again that the political landscape in Ostallgäu is characterized by dynamism and change. District Bot reports that this is due to both the persuasiveness of its leaders and the loyal voter base that is firmly entrenched in the region.

Finally, it remains to be hoped that the commitment and ideas of politicians like Andreas Bauer and Markus Söder will continue to advance the region and enable the people of East Allgäu to live together in a common, future-oriented way.