Zeder spent almost 180 thousand euros from the Bavarian budget on the work of the photographers.
Photo: GLOBAL LOOK PRESS
Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder, known for his stunning magazine covers, has been accused of spending a fortune on professional photo shoots. According to Politico, to emphasize his appearance, only last year, 56-year-old Zeder spent almost 180 thousand euros (more than 18 million rubles) from the Bavarian budget on the work of photographers.
The investigation showed that this is more impressive than in the last year of work of Söder’s predecessor, Horst Seehofer, who left the post of head of Bavaria in 2017. Then only about 11 thousand euros were allocated (a little more than 1 million rubles) for the politician’s photo session. Thus, adjusted for inflation during Söder’s five years in office, German taxpayers began paying 20 times as much for government photographers.
In addition, it turned out that a photographer is already working in the Bavarian office on a permanent basis, whose salary is more than 36 thousand euros a year (3.6 million rubles). But for various reasons, he doesn’t always have the opportunity to attend the necessary events, so Zeder’s assistants hire freelance photographers.
The outraged Bavarians demanded explanations for such high expenses for the photo sessions of his head. In response, Zeder’s press office said that professional photographs are needed “for the provision of the media and the public, as well as for historical documentation.”
It is worth noting that Markus Soeder is not the only German politician who likes to look good in the media. According to data provided by the federal government itself, spending on photographers Olaf Scholz reached almost 1.5 million euros in 2022. But Angela Merkel spent 80% less on photo shoots than her successor as chancellor.
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