SPD candidacy for chancellor: K question continues to concern the SPD – the Juso boss sees it openly

The SPD leadership has so far tried in vain to end the debate about Olaf Scholz’s candidacy for chancellor in next year’s federal election. Juso boss Philipp Türmer believes the question of the SPD candidate for chancellor has not yet been decided. “There is no self-coronation. As Chancellor you don’t crown yourself a candidate again, but that is a decision of the party and its committees. And that’s where the ball is now,” said the chairman of the SPD youth organization on Deutschlandfunk. The party commits itself when the presidium or board makes a proposal and a party conference then decides on it. “And until then the question is open for me,” said Türmer.

Scholz has not yet been nominated

The SPD leadership has repeatedly emphasized its support for Scholz as candidate for chancellor, but initially refrained from nominating him after the decision to call a new election. Most recently, after several local politicians, two members of the Bundestag – Joe Weingarten and Johannes Arlt – openly advocated for Defense Minister Boris Pistorius to run for office. Both are not members of the parliamentary group’s front row, but are members of the Defense Committee.

Scholz himself had already declared in July: “As chancellor, I will run to become chancellor again.” Pistorius achieves significantly higher popularity ratings in surveys than the Chancellor.

When asked who he thought was the better candidate, Türmer didn’t want to commit. “The party leadership is of course responsible for first making a proposal.” This will then be evaluated. But “we won’t be anticipating this in any way now”.

SPD co-leader Esken believes Scholz is set

SPD leader Saskia Esken reiterated her support for Scholz. “We have decided to go into the federal election campaign with Olaf Scholz and to win this federal election together with him. He is our chancellor and he is our federal chancellor, our candidate for chancellor,” she said in the ARD “Morgenmagazin”.

When asked why there was no resolution for Scholz in the party executive, she replied: “Because it is so clear. That’s why a party executive resolution is not absolutely necessary at this point.” The necessary steps for the federal election campaign will be prepared and decided in the next few days.

Co-boss Klingbeil also supports Scholz

The second SPD chairman, Lars Klingbeil, had previously announced that the further timetable would be determined in the next few days: “It’s about clarity on the matter, it’s about a path that we are now taking until the federal party conference,” he said on ARD and confirmed: “We want to go into this election campaign with Olaf Scholz.” Everyone who has responsibility at the top would have said that clearly.

Klingbeil admitted that there were rumblings about Scholz in the party. But he doesn’t believe that this discussion could have been killed with a board decision in the last few days. What is crucial is that those responsible have expressed themselves clearly, he emphasized in the ARD program “Caren Miosga”. Now it’s just a matter of figuring out the strategy. The SPD is planning an “election victory conference” in Berlin on November 30th, at which the candidate for chancellor will make his first major appearance.