SPD chair: Esken gives up SPD chair-no renewed candidacy

The SPD chairman Saskia Esken wants to withdraw from her office and thus from the front row of politics. She would no longer start re-election at the SPD Federal Party Conference at the end of June, said the 63-year-old in the evening in the ARD program “Report from Berlin”. However, she announced that she kept her mandate in the Bundestag in which she has been sitting since 2013.

Esken has been the SPD leader since 2019, and since 2021 the party has been running together with Lars Klingbeil, who has now switched to the black and red federal government as a vice-chancellor and finance minister.

Esken wants to make space for young women

“In the past six years, I have had great joy and great honor to keep the SPD as party leader, a time -honored and a conventional party at the same time,” said ESKE. “I now give up my party chairman and make room for the renewal.” Esken emphasized that the decision had matured in the past few days and weeks. She in particular wanted to make room for young women in the SPD.

Esken was elected directly by the members in 2019, at that time initially in the duo with Norbert Walter-Borjans. In the following years, she made a significant contribution to stabilizing the SPD. After 2021, she reliably supported Chancellor Olaf Scholz, although she didn’t always agree with him.

Most recently, she acted the coalition agreement with the CDU and CSU alongside the co-chair Klingbeil. In the distribution of the ministerial posts in the Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU )’s cabinet, however, it went out as empty as with the occupation of the important items in the SPD parliamentary group.

Klingbeil: have guided the SPD through ups and downs

Klingbeil thanked Esken “for the close and always trusting cooperation at the head of our party”. There were six very intensive years with her – only as her general secretary, then as her co -chair. “We led the SPD through heights and depths. That welded us together against many resistance,” said Klingbeil when asked by DPA.

The successful Bundestag election campaign with Olaf Scholz was a very special highlight. “In moments when nobody believed in us, we showed what you can master in the team,” said Klingbeil. Esken had worked very strongly into the party and brought pole together. And with its expertise in digital, educational and family policy, it gave the SPD a new profile.

Esken sees inner party criticism calmly

In the past few weeks, there had been violent criticism of Esken, who had only won 12.9 percent of the first vote in her constituency Calw as a direct candidate. She moved into the Bundestag via the SPD country list.

This criticism has accompanied her since she announced her candidacy for the party chairmanship, Esken said in the “Report from Berlin”. From her point of view, she has a lot to do with “as a left and somewhat fearless fear -free woman” open her mouth when it went unjust. “Maybe that doesn’t fit some.” With great satisfaction, she could look back at the party leadership to her six years and therefore now make room.

When asked whether she would have liked more support from Klingbeil in the past few weeks, ESKE said: “I have always had this support at my side.” She has known Klingbeil for twelve years. “It was always a good, close and trusting work.” Esken spoke out to maintain the double leadership in the SPD. “I think the double leadership as a concept has proven itself.”

Esken is considered to be uncomfortable and hard

The spirits in the SPD differ on Esken: some appreciate them as blunt and fear -free voice of the left wing. Others think they are unpredictable and would prefer to give her a talk show ban. Esken is considered hard in, uncomfortable and stubborn. The Black Forest often does not take a leaf out of her mouth. Her professional career tells the classic SPD story of a promoted climber from the package bot to the Bundestag.