ÖDP launches petition to cap Bavarian premier at two terms, putting Markus Söder's 2028 bid at risk

The initiative

The ÖDP Bayern launched a popular initiative on 15 July 2026 to amend the Bavarian constitution so that a minister-president may serve a maximum of two legislative periods, or ten years. State leader Agnes Becker told dpa that "democracy means power is granted for a limited time" and argued that two terms are sufficient. A separate ÖDP state leader, Tobias Ruff, told Stern that capping the term would help "prevent cronyism and break up encrusted structures." The party says signature lists are already printed and collecting will begin across Bavaria during the July summer holidays, with the handover to the interior ministry expected by October at the latest.

CSU pushes back

CSU parliamentary group leader Klaus Holetschek questioned the motives behind the drive. "The central question is whether the initiators really care about limiting power over time, or whether they simply want to remove a successful minister-president from the race by law," he told dpa. Holetschek insisted that "in a democracy, rigid deadlines do not decide; the voters do" and argued that term limits weaken electoral freedom. He also noted that the AfD has announced a bill with the same intention for September.

Constitutional doubts

Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann of the CSU expressed "considerable constitutional concerns" about the proposal. He pointed out that none of Germany's 16 federal states, nor the federal chancellorship, impose term limits on heads of government. "Ultimately it is the free decision of voters and parliaments to decide" who becomes minister-president, Herrmann said. He added it was "not wise" to interfere with a sitting office-holder's term and warned that the government would examine the initiative carefully and, if necessary, refer it to the Bavarian Constitutional Court.

Söder's own 2018 proposal

The initiative revives a sensitive chapter: in 2018 Markus Söder himself proposed a constitutional amendment limiting the minister-president to two terms, but the CSU failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Landtag. According to Stern, the ÖDP intends to use the 2018 government draft as the basis for its popular initiative. The twist sharpens the political discomfort for Söder, who recently confirmed he wants to run again in 2028.

Democracy needs permanent change and renewal.

Path and hurdles

A popular initiative in Bavaria requires 25,000 signatures for admission; once admitted, 10 percent of eligible voters must sign within two weeks at municipal offices to trigger the next stage. If the Landtag rejects the demand, a referendum follows within three months. A constitutional amendment carries an extra hurdle: it needs the approval of at least 25 percent of all eligible voters, not merely a majority of those who turn out. Internally the ÖDP estimates the popular initiative phase could take place in spring 2027, with a referendum several months later. The party draws confidence from past successes: it abolished the Bavarian Senate through a 1998 referendum and secured a strict smoking ban in 2010.