Pistorius starts Bundestag career: “I need you”

Big things often start small. That’s why Boris Pistorius is on stage at the Ricklingen district center this afternoon.

A week ago, the Federal Defense Minister traveled to Bergen, Norway, to seal a submarine deal with his counterpart. In the coming days he will fly to Iraq and Jordan.

In between there is Ricklingen, a district of Hanover that is partly considered a social hotspot. 111 comrades came to the constituency conference, the hall is full. They will decide this afternoon about Pistorius’ future.

If the SPD were no longer part of the future government after the early federal election, the ministerial office and the big trips would be over. If Pistorius wants to continue to have influence in federal politics in such a case, there is only one option: a candidacy for the Bundestag.

“It’s a special day for me,” Pistorius says first. And of course he was excited. And relieved that there is no opposing candidate.

Then he dutifully introduces himself (“For those who don’t know me”). Name. Age. Born in Osnabrück: “But that’s not a disadvantage.” Two children and grandchildren. Widowed. “Happily married again” for a year.

Pistorius knows and knows the social democratic sound. He joined the party 48 years ago and has made a career with and thanks to it.

A little bit of worker pride, a little bit of cosmopolitanism, a little bit of attack and a lot of humility. Pistorius reports that he was “thunderstruck” when he found out that the traffic lights were off. But “at the same time totally relieved – because this strangling was over.” He also mentions that the news reached him on a quick trip to his French counterpart in Paris, with whom he had arranged to meet via text message that morning. To talk about Donald Trump’s renewed victory in the US presidential election. Pistorius praises Olaf Scholz several times and makes it clear: Anyone who expected sales movements from him was wrong.

He deals with the elephant in the room, the SPD dispute over the candidate for chancellor, with a clever evasive maneuver. There is a carpentry shop called “Scholz and Pistorius” in Springe, Lower Saxony, which advertises on its website that they can “create great things together,” jokes Pistorius. That says everything.

He talks about his time as Lower Saxony’s Interior Minister, during which he traveled a lot in Hanover. And that he, the former mayor of Osnabrück, always “remained a local politician” at heart.

It’s no secret that Pistorius would have preferred to compete in Osnabrück. But comrade Manuel Gava, who had wrested the direct mandate for the Osnabrück constituency from CDU housekeeper Matthias Middelberg in 2021, did not want to give up voluntarily. But a candidacy would not have suited Pistorius well.

So he looked elsewhere. And ended up in the Hannover City II constituency. Here he is not giving anyone unfair competition: most recently, party friend Yasmin Fahimi won outright here, who moved to the top of the German Trade Union Confederation as chairwoman in May 2022.

A few days ago, the Osnabrück constituency also became vacant again: after media research, Gava had to admit that he had regularly consumed cocaine. He announced that he no longer wanted to compete. Of course, that came too late for Pistorius.

But Hannover City II is also a “red” constituency. It has been firmly in SPD hands for decades. Former Education Minister Edelgard Bulmahn entered the Bundestag through him eight times. She also came to the district center that afternoon for Pistorius.

And there is an even bigger name associated with him: Kurt Schumacher, leader of the SPD from 1946 to 1952, won here in 1949.

In his application speech, Pistorius quotes Schumacher: “Politics begins with looking at reality.” This is also his motto. Hanover is his “second home”. But because he doesn’t know the constituency down to the last detail, the local comrades are so important. “You know your way around here better than I do,” Pistorius flatters: “That’s why I’m counting on your support, I need you.”

The audience likes it, there is thunderous applause. The minister answers the few questions about the SPD’s unfulfilled housing construction promise, the delayed protection against violence law and the compatibility of ministerial office and constituency work without showing any particular knowledge of detail. He is elected with 97.2 percent of the vote. He was only unable to convince two Social Democrats in the audience.

Pistorius also wants to be elected to the state list on January 4th. He would then be doubly protected. There is still an internal scramble for the first places. With SPD leader Lars Klingbeil, General Secretary Matthias Miersch, Labor Minister Hubertus Heil and Pistorius, there are four prominent comrades from Lower Saxony who want to be at the forefront.

However, no one can deny Pistorius his entry into the Bundestag. If Scholz remained chancellor, he would not be able to do without his most popular minister. If Friedrich Merz became chancellor of a grand coalition, Pistorius would probably become foreign minister or interior minister. Even if the SPD were no longer part of the government, Pistorius would probably play an important role in the group.

Then he could try again from the opposition to target the Chancellery – four years later.