In the last European elections in 2019, the SPD achieved its worst result in a nationwide election. The top candidate at the time now has a second chance.
The Vice President of the European Parliament, Katarina Barley, is leading the SPD as the top candidate in the European elections on June 9th. She was elected with 98.66 percent of the vote at a delegate conference in Berlin. There were 147 yes votes and only two no votes. Barley accepted the election.
The 55-year-old was already the top candidate in the last European elections in 2019, when the SPD achieved its worst result to date in a nationwide election with 15.8 percent. She told the German Press Agency before the delegate conference that she wanted to significantly improve the result. However, she did not name a specific target. “I don’t believe in painting numbers on the wall at all.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Barley a “strong voice for Europe.” Scholz also wants to play a significant role in the election campaign. He said he was counting on a “clear vote against the right” in the European elections. “The European elections are a chance to do that by voting for democratic parties and not the right-wing ones.” The best way to send a signal is to vote for the SPD, the oldest democratic party.
The Chancellor, who was audibly cold, received standing applause for his 20-minute free speech. He once again assured Ukraine of Germany’s continued solidarity in the defensive fight against Russia. A few days before an EU summit in Brussels, he called on the other EU states to supply more weapons.
Take decisive action against violations of the rule of law
Barley has operated relatively quietly in Brussels and Strasbourg in recent years. Politically, during her time in office so far, she has advocated, among other things, decisive action against violations of the rule of law in the European Union. She is calling for a tough course against Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is accused of restricting media freedom in his country. Barley repeatedly criticized the CSU European politician and head of the Christian Democratic European party family, Manfred Weber, for his willingness to talk to right-wing politicians.
Before her career in the European Parliament, the lawyer Barley was Federal Minister of Justice, previously Family Minister and SPD General Secretary. For several years she worked as a research assistant at the Federal Constitutional Court.
“Europe is an important part of me,” Barley assures on her website. This is mainly due to her family history: the Cologne-born mother is German and her father is British. She studied in Paris, among other places. The last name, as Barley often has to explain, is pronounced like Bob Marley. “It’s easy to remember,” she says.
The mother of two has been a member of the SPD since 1994. However, she initially pursued a career as a lawyer until she entered the Bundestag in 2013. After that, her political career went quickly: Secretary General, Minister in several departments. She once described herself as the SPD’s all-purpose weapon.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
