Updated

Horst Seehofer, the leader of one of Germany's governing parties and Chancellor Angela Merkel's most prominent domestic critic during the migrant crisis, says he plans to stay on beyond 2018 — reversing previous statements that he would step down.

The 67-year-old Seehofer has been Bavaria's governor and leader of the Christian Social Union since 2008. The CSU is the Bavaria-only sister to Merkel's Christian Democratic Union. It's an important source of conservative votes but an often-awkward ally.

Seehofer once threatened Merkel's federal government with a lawsuit over the migrant influx and has pushed for a cap on the number of asylum-seekers that Germany accepts. But he has since thrown his weight behind Merkel's quest for a fourth term.

Seehofer said Monday he will seek new terms as governor and CSU leader.