Horst Seehofer, a critic of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s liberal asylum policies, said on Monday he would step down as chief of the powerful Bavarian regional sister party to Merkel’s conservatives. However, Seehofer plans to remain Germany’s interior minister. “I will give up my office as party chief,” Seehofer said in the eastern German city of Bautzen, confirming media reports published over the weekend, Reuters said. Seehofer’s announcement follows Merkel’s own declaration that her fourth term as chancellor will be her last, and that she will step down as leader of the Christian Democrats (CDU). The CSU has dominated politics in post-war Bavaria. Both the national and regional conservative parties have faced their worst electoral performances in decades over the past two years, as the far right has gained ground by challenging Merkel’s immigration policy.