Even two days after the resignation of its chairman Raed Saleh, the Berlin SPD is not calming down. The focus is on the question of whether and to what extent his power is also shaking in the SPD’s parliamentary group. The 46-year-old is also in charge of this. Can he remain this way even after a new election of the parliamentary group executive committee in the coming weeks? And alone too?
On Monday, Nicola Böcker-Giannini and Martin Hikel presented their view of things. “The new beginning in terms of personnel has been chosen,” said Böcker-Giannini, who was ahead on Saturday with her colleague Hikel in the first round of the member vote for the new top duo . They got 48.2 percent and thus scratched the absolute majority. Since it wasn’t quite enough, a runoff election with the second-placed duo Kian Niroomand/Jana Bertels (36.11 percent) is now planned. Raed Saleh and Luise Lehmann only achieved 15.65 percent and are therefore out. The second round of voting begins at the beginning of May.
Nicola Böcker-Giannini and Martin Hikel are not yet the new chairmen of the SPD. If they become so, both would be ready as top candidates for the 2026 House of Representatives election, they say.Christoph Gollnow/dpa
Berlin SPD: The winners of the first round reject criticism of low voter turnout
Böcker-Giannini rejected criticism that the 47.58 percent voter turnout might not be representative: Your more than 4,000 votes – 4,034 in total – are “a lot of land”. This is an allusion to Saleh, who always said that Hikel and Böcker-Giannini would remain “kings without a country” even if they won the election. That means: You couldn’t easily turn the SPD inside out.
Among other things, this is about the debate about the “free city” of Berlin. While Saleh and his colleagues stand for social benefits for everyone, Böcker-Giannini and Hikel want those who can pay for services. This is the essence of social democratic politics, they say.
Good morning Berlin
Newsletter
Thank you for signing up.
You will receive a confirmation by email.
Berlin SPD: 29 euro ticket could disappear again after a year
This dispute also includes the debate about the 29 euro ticket, for which advance sales begin on Tuesday. In view of major austerity measures in the current and future state budgets, the cheap ticket, which burdens Berlin’s budget with around 350 million euros, is coming under increasing pressure. “We stand by our criticism,” said Böcker-Giannini. But the ticket cannot be stopped for now. But they want to check “the usefulness as quickly as possible”. Could mean: The 29 euro ticket should be abolished after just one year.
Either way: According to Nicola Böcker-Giannini, the “new beginning of the party in terms of content, culture and personnel” must also apply to the parliamentary group. That means: Raed Saleh should also give up power there – whether completely or in part. The group’s former integration policy spokeswoman acknowledged dual leadership. “I have been fighting for equality and dual leadership for a very long time. Of course I would be happy if there was one in the group.”
When they talk about a new beginning and a dual leadership, Böcker-Giannini and Hikel can be sure of the approval of their competitors Niroomand/Bertels. The well-connected young politicians, who have the support of the Jusos, many district chairmen and the parliamentary group, have also spoken out in favor of sharing power. Her supporters in parliament say: “The dual leadership is coming – whether with Raed Saleh or without.”
As much as the remaining duos are united in their satisfaction over the departure of the powerful Raed Saleh from the party leadership, they differ greatly on the question of a possible top candidate in the next Berlin election in 2026. Both Kian Niroomand and Jana Bertels have ruled out running for office.
Nicola Böcker-Giannini and Martin Hikel are completely different. “It is clear that candidates for the state chairmanship of the SPD are fundamentally also suitable for the top candidate for the House of Representatives election,” said Böcker-Giannini. For Hikel, this also shows a “different basic understanding. We want to become chairmen of this people’s party in Berlin,” he said. This automatically means that they also want to make “offers to the entire city,” said the district mayor of Neukölln. Nevertheless, in the end it would be “all the better if there were more candidates”. When the time comes, they want to ask the party base again about who should do it.