SPD party chairmanship: Esken open to cooperation with Klingbeil

The SPD wants to create clarity today about its future party leadership. General Secretary Klingbeil is the likely successor to the outgoing co-chairman Walter-Borjans. Party leader Esken can “very well imagine” a dual leadership with him.

The incumbent SPD co-chair, Saskia Esken, can very well imagine forming a dual leadership with Lars Klingbeil in the future. She has been working closely with the SPD general secretary for many years, said Esken im ARD morning magazine. The 43-year-old is an “architect of the renewal of the SPD” and she values ​​him very much. “In this respect, it’s a constellation that I can very well imagine.” As an election campaign manager, Klingbeil played a decisive role in the SPD’s victory in the federal elections.

The SPD leadership wants to create clarity about its future party leadership today. The incumbent chairmen Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans would like to submit a proposal to the board in the morning. The 69-year-old Walter-Borjans has already announced his retirement, while the 60-year-old Esken wants to compete again.

Of course, it would also be exciting to work as a minister in a “future coalition”, said Esken about her decision to apply for the party chairmanship again. But she has also “shown effectiveness” as party leader in the past two years.

Member survey makes “no sense”

The SPD leadership is to be elected at a party congress from December 10th to 12th. Esken does not consider a member survey to elect the new co-chair to be necessary. Since Klingbeil is currently the only candidate, a vote “makes no sense”.

Walter-Borjans had declared when he announced that he was going to retire that young people should now take the helm. Klingbeil is considered the most promising candidate for Walter-Borjan’s successor, but he has not yet publicly announced his application. “I am very honored that my name is mentioned for the role of the SPD chairman,” said Klingbeil to the “RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland”. It did not become more explicit. “The chair is a very important, traditional and attractive office in which you can achieve a lot.”

Incidentally, Manuela Schwesig, who many SPD members could also introduce themselves as chairwoman, declined with thanks. You are not interested, prefer to support the duo Esken and Klingbeil.

With information from Georg Schwarte, ARD capital studio