The SPD party congress had been shortened from the originally planned three days to one day due to the ongoing corona pandemic.
(Photo: imago images / Political-Moments)
Berlin The former Juso boss and SPD vice-president Kevin Kühnert becomes general secretary of the SPD. A hybrid party congress gave the 32-year-old 77.78 percent of the vote on Saturday in Berlin. The newly elected SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert has called for a clear division of tasks between the government and the SPD as a party.
“For us as the SPD, the parliamentary group and government are our hands that can shape and change reality with skill and ability,” he said in Berlin. “The party is the head and heart of the social democratic movement.”
As general secretary of the SPD, he himself wanted to be “the guardian and carrier of its programs and communicator to a democratic public”. Kühnert emphasized: “We don’t need a ritualized heck of a mess between the grassroots SPD and the government SPD to remind us that our party is still alive.”
However, he called for some points in the program to be sharpened, such as the connection between immigration and the shortage of skilled workers, or what exactly the SPD understands by citizens’ insurance.
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Lars Klingbeil and Saskia Esken were previously elected as the new SPD dual leadership. The delegates elected the previous Secretary General Klingbeil (43) with 86.3 percent of the vote. The 60-year-old party leader Saskia Esken was confirmed in office with 76.7 percent.
NRW SPD leader Kutschaty becomes part of the SPD leadership
The Saar-SPD leader, Anke Rehlinger, achieved the best result at the SPD party conference in Berlin. Rehlinger was confirmed as party vice on Saturday with 90.7 percent of the delegate votes. In 2019, Rehlinger received 74.8 percent. Labor Minister Hubertus Heil was confirmed with 88.6 percent (2019: 70 percent), Serpil Midyatli with 85.7 percent (2019: 79.8 percent) and Klara Geywitz with 81 percent (2019: 76.8).
The North Rhine-Westphalian SPD leader Thomas Kutschaty, who is new to the SPD leadership, received 84.7 percent. Saskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil had previously been elected as the new top duo. The decisions still have to be confirmed by postal vote.
When she was first elected head of the SPD two years ago, Saskia Esken received 75.9 percent. At that time, Norbert Walter-Borjans had achieved 89.2 percent as co-party leader. Before his election, Klingbeil said to the approximately 600 delegates: “We have unleashed this country after 16 years, from the must of the conservatives.”
He recalled the long past and long low polls of the SPD. “We were written off, we were pitied,” he said. “But we never gave up, never, at no point in time.” The victory in the Bundestag election is a great opportunity to shape a “social democratic decade”.
Esken said: “We will change this country, we will strengthen it, and we will make it more just.” Social democracy must become a think tank for questions about the future. At the same time Esken was combative and confident about the four state elections in the coming year.
Walter-Borjans withdraws
The change in the party leadership became necessary because Walter-Borjans is withdrawing. Walter-Borjans and Esken were elected to the top of the SPD in 2019 after an elaborate candidate search, after the then party leader Andrea Nahles resigned. Now Walter-Borjans said: “The SPD, dear comrades, is back.”
The SPD vice chairman of the North Rhine-Westphalian SPD state, Thomas Kutschaty, is to take over the post of SPD vice-president that becomes vacant with Kühnert’s move to general secretary. The previous incumbents, Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil, the new Federal Building Minister Klara Geywitz as well as Anke Rehlinger and Serpil Midyatli are nominated as further party vice-holders.
The SPD party congress had been shortened from the originally planned three days to one day due to the ongoing corona pandemic. Only a week ago, the Social Democrats approved the coalition agreement at a hybrid party congress.
In addition to the personal details, the SPD also wanted to prepare for its role as the new chancellor party in terms of content. The Social Democrats attach great importance to their own content profile.
Kühnert made it clear that the SPD also wanted to pursue goals that did not make it into the coalition agreement. This included a pension system for all workers, a citizens’ insurance and an “adequate taxation” of huge assets, said Kühnert of the “taz” (weekend). “That’s not folklore for election campaigns.”
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