According to media reports, Seehofer, who has repeatedly called to introduce a 200,000 per year cap on immigration, suggested CSU could refuse to participate in the next government, if immigration restrictions are not introduced.
"We mean this demand very seriously," Seehofer told reporters.
CDU and CSU, colloquially called "the Union parties," plan to hold a "reconciliation summit" this February in Munich, to "repair" relations between the two parties, which have gone cold after both Seehofer and Merkel refused to attend each other's party conference last year due to disagreement over the country's immigration policy. However, Seehofer noted that the agenda for the upcoming summit is not yet finalized.
"We still need to discuss some things and then we will go into the election together," he said, adding that "[Germany] is polarized and divided and it must be the task of all democrats to lead their country together."
Ahead of the upcoming election, the CSU raised concerns about losing votes to far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), a party that prefers an increasingly popular hard line against immigration.
