SPD candidacy for chancellor: SPD leader reacts to quarrels with self-criticism

After the tough debate about the candidacy for chancellor, SPD leader Saskia Esken expressed self-criticism for the first time. “No, we didn’t really give a good impression when we nominated our candidate for chancellor,” she said at the Juso federal congress in Halle in Saxony-Anhalt, receiving long-lasting applause.

However, Esken also made it clear that in her opinion the party had not suffered any damage. “We are emerging from this debate not damaged, but also stronger because we have now achieved great agreement,” she told journalists. “Such a united party, which now gathers behind the top staff and runs together, is the strength of the SPD. This is how we will win the election.”

Juso boss accuses party leadership of leadership failure

Co-chairman Lars Klingbeil defended the party leadership’s approach to the K issue on Friday. Of course there needs to be discussion, he said at a conference of SPD local politicians in Berlin. “I’m a party leader who doesn’t just say basta (…), but I also want to listen to the party, I also want to take seriously what is being discussed.”

At the start of the Juso Congress, the chairman of the youth association, Philipp Türmer, accused Klingbeil and Esken of leadership failure to the applause of around 300 delegates: “It can’t go on like this. What a shit show it actually has been in the last few weeks,” said he to her address.

After Esken’s speech, Turmer renewed his criticism. “I have to say, at this point I really lacked a plan and actually lacked leadership on this issue from the party leadership.” The debate was “destructive”, but it is now over. “Now we need a clear strategy as to how we go into this election campaign.” He called for a focus on defending the welfare state, securing industrial jobs and modernizing society. Specifically, he called for, among other things, the abolition of the debt brake and the taxation of assets.

Heil: “This is not a self-help group”

After the coalition break and the new election decision, the party leadership decided not to immediately nominate Prime Minister Olaf Scholz as a candidate for chancellor. This has led to a debate over the past two weeks about replacing the much more popular Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. It was only ended on Thursday when Pistorius renounced his candidacy. On Monday, the board wants to nominate Scholz as candidate for chancellor.

The deputy SPD chairman Hubertus Heil was annoyed at the Juso congress about the quarrels over the K question. “It hasn’t been good in the last few days, it has to end now,” said the Labor Minister in Halle. “Our Social Democratic Party is not an end in itself, and it is not a self-help group.” Other than Turmer, Heil did not name those responsible.

He called on the Jusos to look forward and concentrate on the election in three months on February 23rd. “Fight with us, it’s not just about us, it’s about our country.” The SPD now has to “pull itself together and stand together so that we win”.

Scholz not at the Juso congress again

The Young Socialists are the SPD’s youth organization with around 70,000 members between the ages of 14 and 35. They make up almost a quarter of the SPD representatives in the Bundestag. Scholz is not taking part in the federal congress. The former Juso deputy head has never been to a party youth congress in his almost three years as head of government.

The discussion focused on the content of the election campaign. But the K question and the type of clarification also played a role. One delegate said such a decision should not be made “in stuffy back rooms”. Hard-working campaigners must be treated with respect and included. One delegate said that support for Scholz in the election campaign was “not God-given”. “I don’t know if I’ll stand in the cold and campaign for Olaf.”

Pistorius: “I love my current job”

At an event in Sauerland, Pistorius emphasized again that he had never put himself into play as a candidate and that he did not want the debate. “I love my current job, I really do,” he said. He is not yet finished with his work for the Bundeswehr and is aiming for a second term as Defense Minister.

At the Friedrich Ebert Foundation event, Pistorius once again supported Scholz and called him the “right candidate for chancellor.” He stands for “reason, calm and prudence and for a clear compass”.

Scholz will give his first major campaign speech next week

After Scholz’s nomination by the party executive on Monday, a joint press conference with the two chairmen Klingbeil and Esken is planned. On November 30th, the Chancellor and candidate for Chancellor is scheduled to give his first major campaign speech to candidates at an “election victory conference” in Berlin’s Willy Brandt House. Scholz will be officially elected at a party conference on January 11th.

The starting position for Scholz could hardly be worse. If he wants to be re-elected, he will have to make an extreme comeback. In the surveys, the SPD is still 16 to 19 points behind the Union at 14 to 16 percent.