Personnel quake in the Willy Brandt House: Kevin Kühnert is withdrawing from politics and is also resigning from his position as Secretary General. This is how he explains his move.
SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert is resigning from his position with immediate effect. The Social Democrat announced this in a written statement on Monday. The 35-year-old has been the party’s general secretary since December 2021.
Kevin Kühnert cites health reasons
Kühnert declares his resignation as Secretary General for health reasons. “I need the energy that is necessary for my office and an election campaign in the foreseeable future in order to get healthy again,” writes Kühnert in the personal statement to party members and friends. That’s why he draws the consequences. “I can’t grow beyond myself at the moment because unfortunately I’m not healthy,” the politician continues, referring to his statement in a “Spiegel” interview that every SPD member in the campaign for the 2025 federal election have to grow beyond oneself.
A few days ago he informed the SPD chairmen Lars Klingbeil and Saskia Esken that he would be resigning from his position. “I would like to thank them both for their understanding and empathy as well as for our particularly close and friendly collaboration,” he emphasizes. In addition, he informed the chairwoman of the SPD Tempelhof-Schöneberg that he was not available to run again in the upcoming federal election.
Scholz writes to Kühnert
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) addressed Kühnert on . That was something very special.”
“These decisions took me a lot of effort and they hurt me because I put my heart and soul into my political work,” writes Kühnert. But they are still the right ones. “I bear responsibility for myself – and for the SPD. By taking full care of my health now, I believe I can best meet my dual responsibilities.”
Kühnert optimistic about the federal election
Last week, Kühnert said in Markus Lanz’s ZDF talk that he wanted to stay in office and was confident that he would lead his party in the upcoming federal election campaign.
Before his election as SPD general secretary, Kühnert had been chairman of the Young Socialists since November 2017. In this role, he was a sharp critic of the grand coalition between the Social Democrats and the CDU/CSU. In the internal party competition, the Jusos under his leadership supported the election of Esken and her then co-chairman Norbert Walter-Borjans to the top of the party in 2021 – against their competitor, today’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz. From December 2019 to December 2021, Kühnert was also deputy SPD federal chairman.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated since it was first published.
Sources: Statement by Kevin Kühnert, , , news agencies DPA and AFP
Source: Stern
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