Almost half quit – Bavaria

Today’s General Secretary Ruth Müller once described the formation of the newly elected SPD parliamentary group in dramatic words at a party conference five years ago. Due to the role of opposition leadership, the SPD fell to a historically poor result in 2018, 9.7 percent. When the faction met for the first time in the Maximilianeum, there were suddenly 20 fewer people than before, the hall was much too big, and people felt “humiliated and amputated.” Now after the election on Sunday, according to the latest surveys – the exact result is still pending – the SPD parliamentary group may be similarly large or slightly smaller. Not a big shock effect like in 2018. And yet a lot will be different: nine of the current 21 SPD MPs are quitting, are no longer standing for this election, almost half – a change. It is also a generational change. And of course the state parliament always loses competence at the end of an electoral period; especially when politicians who have built up expertise in an area over many years say goodbye.

Among them is the former regional head Natascha Kohnen from the Munich district. It is rare in politics for someone in their early 50s to consider themselves to be an older person – Kohnen did this when she freed up the SPD leadership for younger people in 2021. A party conference then chose the dual leadership of Florian von Brunn, who is now also the parliamentary group leader, and Ronja Endres as his successor. Now in his mid-50s, Kohnen is also saying goodbye to the state parliament. Anyone who talks to her these days somehow gets the feeling that she’s simply fed up with politics. At the end of the year, the qualified biologist wants to decide where she wants to go professionally.

The central theme of her political work was housing. Not because it rhymes so nicely with her last name, but because she recognized the social explosiveness of the topic when others were still talking little about it, and because she is deeply involved in the subject. However, she was unsuccessful with this focus in her 2018 campaign as the SPD’s top candidate, an election campaign that was overshadowed by migration at the time. But her style – objective, moderating – is probably not for everyone. Although she recently took positive aspects from moderating in the SZ interview (with her local CSU MP colleague Ernst Weidenbusch, who is also leaving). Moderating a situation and sitting it out can also help with success. But: “I don’t believe in hitting the table and saying: That’s the way!” In the conversation, she also made it clear: “The last thing anyone needs is a former chairwoman shouting from the sidelines about what should and shouldn’t be done.”

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Harald Güller from Augsburg, for example, who has been in the state parliament with one interruption since 1994 and is widely recognized as a budget professional, also no longer ran for the state parliament – to name just a few of the nine representatives. Güller chaired investigative committees twice. They once called him “the battle-hardened one.” Bavarian state newspaper. Or Florian Ritter from Munich, who is one of the best experts on the right-wing extremist scene in Bavaria and is involved in the fight against enemies of democracy. “The Basic Law and the Bavarian Constitution are anti-fascist constitutions and the SPD is an anti-fascist party,” is how he explains his motivation. “The Red Knight” pinned the sentence to his X account.

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Or there are two former mayors who gave the SPD local political expertise in the state parliament. Klaus Adelt on the one hand, he says: His ten years of opposition in the state parliament were a big contrast to his 24 years as mayor of the city of Selbitz in Upper Franconia. There he was in the role of a maker, but things were different in parliament: “If every motion from the opposition is rejected, it’s tiring.” But the reason why he is no longer standing for election is: “It’s time to make room for the young people.” Quit politics altogether? Adelt would like to remain on the district and city council. “Maintaining the SPD is more important than ever,” says the 67-year-old, at a time when a shift to the right can be felt.

On the other hand, Inge Aures, former vice president of the state parliament and mayor of Kulmbach from 1995 to 2007, also wants to make room for the youth – she has had a fulfilling life as a politician. She’s 67, so people shouldn’t ask, “What else does the old woman want?” she says with a laugh. “A hopping hen is better than a squatting one.” She also wants to continue to get involved at the local level. Nevertheless, some high-profile local politicians are now on the SPD electoral lists as potential successors. The SPD traditionally values ​​local ties, and local issues often become opposition proposals. During the election campaign, the SPD also tried to use the 200 SPD-run town halls in Bavaria as a bonus, with the motto: “You trust us locally too!”

The question of what the revamped faction means for the leadership is still open. Brunn’s election as parliamentary group leader in 2021 was close; from then on, the parliamentary group was divided into confidants and critics, and some even saw an “ice age” between the camps. How will the new ones position themselves? Anyone who asks around the SPD will get two forecasts. One: The poor result, his manageable popularity, mistakes in the campaign such as fixating only on the top candidate – Brunn will hardly be able to hold on. The other: Perhaps the renewed parliamentary group and the situation of the SPD – the election, the federal trend, the trouble of the left-wing camp in Bavaria – offer a chance for cohesion. And here’s to a new start with Brunn at the helm. Some also recommend not choosing a leader too quickly: According to the constitution, the state government has four weeks to form a coalition, so a faction can probably get a taste of each other for a while.