Markus Söder brownface: Merkel ally pictured dressed as Gandhi in full make-up

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A German politician in Angela Merkel‘s conservative political alliance dressed as Mahatma Gandhi, complete with brown make-up.

Markus Söder is part of the Christian Social Union (CSU) in Bavaria, where he is state president.

The CSU tends more conservative than the chancellor’s Christian Democratic Union, and tensions in the grouping have flared over immigration in the past as pressure from the far-right Alternative for Germany weighed on CSU leadership.

Mr Söder has reportedly shifted his stance since his party took a hammering in state elections a year ago, and has backed eco-friendly initiatives in Bavaria.

Away from the political, the 52-year-old has a penchant for fancy dress and has appeared at public events in costume as Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings, cartoon ogre Shrek, Marilyn Monroe and Paul Stanley from Kiss.

At a carnival event in 2015, he dressed as Gandhi, the Indian revolutionary, in full brownface make-up.

Images of the costume resurfaced in recent news reports.

It follows the scandal created by old photos of Justin Trudeau, in black- and brownface make-up.

Mr Trudeau, who lost his majority in the recent Canadian election, has apologised for wearing the make-up.

The Independent has contacted the CSU for comment.