- Söder and Rhein are talking at the CSU tent at Gillamoos
CSU - Chef Markus Söder and Hesse's Minister-President Boris Rhein are the main speakers in the CSU tent at the Gillamoos folk festival in early September. "This year, we have double state power at our festival rally on Political Gillamoos Monday," the CSU district association of Kelheim announced. Rhein and Söder, as minister-presidents of their respective states, represent nearly 20 million inhabitants or 23 percent of the German population. Together, their states generated more than 27 percent of Germany's gross domestic product last year.
The Gillamoos is a fair with a folk festival atmosphere that takes place every early September. The event in the district of Kelheim has a more than 700-year tradition and is particularly known for its political speeches on the last day. Traditionally, the parties invite prominent speakers to the various festival tents and locations. Last year, in addition to Söder, CDU leader Friedrich Merz gave a speech. Söder is a regular guest at the Gillamoos, while this is Rhein's first time.
Focus: Elections in the three eastern states
After last year's verbal sparring, which focused on the then-upcoming state election and the leaflet affair involving Free Voter leader Hubert Aiwanger, this year's main topics will certainly be the elections in the eastern states. On September 1, the day before the Gillamoos, new state parliaments will be elected in Saxony and Thuringia, and in Brandenburg on September 22. The AfD is hoping for significant gains in all three states.
The other parties' speakers have not yet been officially announced. According to a report in the "Mittelbayerische Zeitung," Free Voter leader Hubert Aiwanger will speak, and the Greens have announced Anton Hofreiter.
At the festival tent, the CSU district association celebrated having double state power with the main speakers, Chef Markus Söder and Hesse's Minister-President Boris Rhein, who represent a significant portion of Germany's population. Later in the event, Free Voter leader Hubert Aiwanger and Greens representative Anton Hofreiter are expected to deliver speeches, contributing to the diverse political discourse at the Gillamoos fair.
