Political party
NRW-SPD wants to get off the defensive with the first double leadership
At its state party conference in Münster, the North Rhine-Westphalian SPD elects a new state executive. photo
© David Young/dpa
The NRW-SPD wants to get out of its trough with a double push. For the first time, the state party is relying on a tandem at the top. Who is the new power center?
Achim Post (64), member of the Bundestag, and Sarah Philipp (40), member of the Duisburg state parliament, form the first dual leadership in the history of North Rhine-Westphalia SPD.
At a state party conference in Münster, the chairman of the NRW state group in the Bundestag was elected with around 92 percent of the 449 valid votes as the new head of the SPD state association with the most members. His co-chair Philipp, who is also parliamentary director of the SPD in the state parliament, received around 88 percent. There were no opposing candidates.
Amendment of the articles of incorporation
The party congress had previously made it possible to choose the tandem with an amendment to the statutes that had already been decided at federal level in 2019. The delegates elected the 37-year-old former state head of the Jusos, Frederick Cordes, as the new general secretary with around 87 percent of the votes – also unopposed. The Oberhausen member of parliament and geographer has been a member of the SPD state executive since 2017.
The new election became necessary after Thomas Kutschaty’s resignation last March. In May, the former North Rhine-Westphalia Minister of Justice resigned as chairman of the opposition parliamentary group due to disagreements within the party.
SPD at rock bottom
The SPD in North Rhine-Westphalia hopes that their new leadership will give them a double push out of the trough. The traditional party, which once ruled the most populous federal state for decades, fell to a historic low of 26.7 percent in the NRW elections in May 2022. In surveys in recent months, it was even lower – at 20 to 22 percent.
NRW has been governed by CDU-led coalitions since 2017. Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) has been leading the first black-green alliance in state history since May 2022.