The Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP) reportedly intends to push for an amendment to the Bavarian Constitution via a popular referendum that would cap the premiership of ministers at a maximum of two legislative terms. The party plans to publicly announce this initiative on Thursday, according to “Stern”. If implemented, this measure would prevent Markus Söder, who has been in office since 2018, from being elected to a third term as head of government during the 2028 state election.
The ÖDP’s regional leader, Tobias Ruff, stated to the magazine that limiting the tenure of the Prime Minister is a necessary component for keeping democracy functional, preventing stagnation, and breaking down entrenched structures. He added that democracy requires ongoing change and renewal.
The CSU is expected to closely monitor this proposal given the Eco-Democratic Party’s consistent success in popular votes over recent decades. Intriguingly, the ÖDP plans to adopt a legislative draft originally proposed by Söder’s government in 2018 for its initiative. At that time, Söder himself had sought to constitutionalize the term limit for ministers but failed to secure the necessary two-thirds majority in the state parliament.
This new push is particularly inconvenient for Söder, as the CSU’s Prime Minister has been facing internal pressure within his own party for some time.
For the plan to move forward, the initiators must first gather 25,000 signatures to allow the initiative to proceed. Internally, the ÖDP estimates that the popular initiative could take place in the spring of 2027, followed by a referendum several months later if it is successful.
