Ursula Münch: If you consider that since 1949 there has only been a mayor for one term who did not come from the SPD, that is historic. This office has always been very important for the party, which is why Reiter’s performance is a debacle.

After the SPD, the Greens are now joining Dominik Krause run the city. How is it that Munich seems to be a rather left-wing island in conservative Bavaria?

Munch: It is interesting that neither the previous SPD mayors nor Krause were traditionally left-wing. They all represented more moderate positions. That’s also the reason why a Green party was able to win: Krause never limited himself to supposedly progressive issues.

Why is this moderate left-wing policy so well received by the people of Munich?

Munch: One could say: the people of Munich can afford this policy. The city is relatively wealthy, the employment rate is high, and there is a well-earning and educated citizenry. The atmosphere is big city and university, which goes hand in hand with a certain liberality. The SPD used to address this quite well and today the Greens do. They realize that left-wing dogmatism wouldn’t work.

Dominik Krause tried to spread a spirit of optimism during the election campaign. Among other things, he wants more commitment to housing construction and lower rents. Are these promises he can keep?

Munch: Krause now has an executive leadership position. He can and must set political accents. But he is also dependent on a majority that has yet to be found in the city council. And he has to manage to mobilize the administration, which is still very much influenced by the long years of the SPD. Even a green mayor can’t do magic, which is why rents won’t fall overnight.

On Sunday there were also numerous runoff elections for district administrator positions in Bavaria. After that, the CSU only has 40 district administrators instead of the previous 53. What’s going on there?

Munch: There is no general answer to that because the initial situations on site were very different. However, there is a general trend that many incumbents were not re-elected.

Munch: Many district administrators had to implement austerity measures. But voters notice when the local infrastructure suffers. This then falls back on the incumbent. In addition, there are now two competitors for the CSU, the Free Voters and the AfD, who are demanding alternative solutions. These parties didn’t play such a big role in the past.

How much does this result say about the strength of the CSU in general?

Munch: She’s having a harder time today, that’s clear. Because of competition from the AfD and Free Voters, the unique selling point as a conservative force in Bavaria has disappeared. And the CSU no longer has the presence, visibility and good local contacts. The alarm bells must now go off in the party.

CSU General Secretary Martin Huber spoke of “very different election results,” which would above all show that local elections are personality elections. So does the CSU leadership bear no responsibility?

Munch: Yes, of course. Huber is partly right, but his analysis alone cannot explain the CSU result. The people’s dissatisfaction affects those who have been responsible so far, that is the CSU. The party has no longer managed to convey to people that, despite the cuts and changes, their lives can remain relatively safe and predictable.

CSU party leader Markus Söder has analyzed that unity is “the be-all and end-all”. “Where she wasn’t there, we lost from the start.” What role does Söder play in ensuring that the CSU is not closed across the board?

Munch: Söder is party chairman, prime minister and a factor in federal politics. He is, of course, attributed with some responsibility for people’s problems. This is reinforced by the fact that there is a certain dissatisfaction among the population, but also among the CSU base, that Söder is primarily concerned with the big issues – space, AI, nuclear fusion. Voters and party members get the feeling that their concrete everyday concerns only marginally affect Söder.

What signal does the local elections send out for Söder?

Munch: Söder will now probably appeal that the members of the state and federal parliaments have to take more care of the local people again. That’s not wrong, but Söder tends to look for responsibility in others. That’s not enough. He himself also has to concentrate more on working through specific problems.

How should Söder deal with the competition from Free Voters and the AfD?

Munch: Söder first has to come to terms with who the CSU’s main competition is for him. Is it the Greens? Or just Free Voters and AfD? At least at the local level it is obviously the latter. The next step is to clarify the question of how sensible it is to chase the AfD in its positions.