Every top post the party now occupies at the top of the city can be a way back to better times. That is why the SPD no longer holds on to CSU man Alexander Dietrich.
The SPD insists on its formal rights and puts a personnel officer in front of the door, whom hardly anyone in political operations denies competence and commitment. Is that good advice to you? Or is it not only harming the city and ultimately also itself? At first glance, it could look like this if she no longer wants to propose and elect a speaker who cannot be blamed for anything and who would also like to continue working for the city. But even if it is humanly hard for the CSU man Alexander Dietrich to lose his job through no personal fault: The SPD can give understandable reasons for its decision.
The top positions in a big city like Munich are not clearly defined in their role. On the one hand, the speakers are at the head of large administrative bodies, on the other hand, they are elected by political parties to implement their policies. But if the majorities in the city council change to the detriment of your party, they must expect to be replaced after their term of office has expired. There can only be exceptions to this if a personality is irreplaceable and the new government is strong enough that it can afford it.
The SPD will certainly not be in this position in 2021. Since 2014 she has almost only received defeats and bankruptcies in elections, only Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) provided a ray of light when he was re-elected. It may well be that she will lose the office of mayor in the next local election in 2026 and find herself in the opposition. When the once proud and strong Munich Social Democrats recently performed extremely modestly in the federal election despite a positive federal trend in their party, Dietrich’s fate was finally sealed.
The SPD is desperate to remain a relevant power factor in Munich. If she wants to continue to shape Munich in the medium and long term, she must now seriously come up with a plan that will not be crushed between the CSU and the Greens. This also includes cleverly placing your own political personnel. Every speaker she is now establishing at the top of the city for the time being can be a building block on the way back to better times. She simply cannot afford the noble gesture of holding the CSU man Dietrich. Anyone fighting for a future as a people’s party has nothing to give away.