Nominated President of the Bundestag: What the Personnel Bas means for the SPD

The planned nomination of Bärbel Bas as President of the Bundestag shows the growing influence of the SPD left. And it might thwart some career plans. For Federal President Steinmeier, however, it is an opportunity.

Jutta Allmendinger is smiling all over her face. It goes without saying that there is now a woman to choose from, she says. The many women voters in Germany wanted to be represented, just like the men.

At the beginning of the week, the sociologist Allmendinger, together with the former chairman of the German Ethics Council, Peter Dabrock, demanded exactly that: a woman in the second highest state office. At the time, it still looked as if the SPD parliamentary group had rather entrusted its popular chairman Rolf Mützenich with the office.

Then it might have happened that the three highest state offices – Federal President, Bundestag President and Federal Chancellor – would each have been occupied by an older SPD man at the end of the year. Difficult to imagine for many women in society and the SPD. And so the open letter from Dabrock and Allmendinger probably caused a rethink in the parliamentary group and in their boss Mützenich.

Parliamentary experience

Recently you could hear that there are at least five women who would dare to take on the office. Among them also Bärbel Bas and the designated Vice President Aydan Özoguz. From the group it is now said that the greater parliamentary experience was the decisive factor in favor of Bas. She was already the parliamentary manager of the group and also its deputy chairwoman. She is trusted to head the great Bundestag authority.

Özoguz also held top positions in politics. She was Minister of State in the Chancellery and Deputy SPD Chairwoman. But in the end, Bas was more confident in what he could do.

With the decision in favor of Bas, the SPD also missed the opportunity to bring a person with a migration background to one of the three highest state offices for the first time. Both women belong to the left wing of the parliamentary group. The fact that no one from the pragmatic Seeheimer Kreis was awarded the contract this time also reflects the balance of power in the parliamentary group.

There are now far more MPs who have organized themselves with the parliamentary left than with the Seeheimers. Nevertheless, many in the group assume that the pragmatists will have to be taken into account again soon.

The decision strengthens Steinmeier’s position

Group leader Mützenich remains in office for the time being. That in turn changes the career plans of other comrades. It was speculated that the previous deputy parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch should move up for Mützenich if he had become President of the Bundestag.

That has now been done for the time being. Perhaps, so it is said behind closed doors, one could think again about a change in the middle of the legislative period. And it is also completely unclear which posts the SPD can fill after the formation of the government. However, it is very difficult to imagine that Mützenich would be interested in a ministerial office.

The position of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has now been strengthened. The election of a female President of the Bundestag will presumably reduce the pressure on the SPD to elect a woman to Bellevue Palace for the first time in February next year. It is said from the party that Steinmeier said he was ready for a second term and that there was no reason to replace a popular president.