Carnival-loving, eloquent Soeder wants to be Germany's first Bavarian CSU chancellor

FILE PHOTO: Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soeder and Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer present their ‘Covid-Alliance’ and 10-Point-Plan in Munich, Germany, March 1, 2021. Peter Kneffel/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

(This April 11 story, corrects to make clear Soeder would be first chancellor from Bavaria's CSU party, not state of Bavaria, in headline, par 6.)

BERLIN (Reuters) - Dismissed for decades by critics as a country bumpkin who loves silly carnival costumes, Bavarian leader Markus Soeder said on Sunday that he was willing to run as the conservative candidate for German chancellor, provided he had the bloc's full backing.