Politics · Germany · 6 hrs ago
SPD to elect its full leadership at party conference around year-end
Germany’s Social Democratic Party, the SPD, plans to elect its entire leadership at a party conference around the turn of the year.
The decision follows the immediate resignation of co-leader Bärbel Bas, who also left her post as labour minister after the death of her stepdaughter.
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil announced the plan in Berlin and said a new election would clarify the party’s leadership and political direction.
He wants the party to keep a leadership shared by a woman and a man.
Klingbeil has not said whether he will stand again, but said he intends to remain finance minister and vice-chancellor regardless of the outcome.
He has proposed former Rhineland-Palatinate premier Alexander Schweitzer as the next labour and social affairs minister.
The proposed leadership election is intended to settle the party’s personnel and policy direction, while the government coalition says it will continue its work.
The SPD plans to elect its entire leadership at a party conference around the turn of the year.
SPD co-leader Lars Klingbeil announced the plan at a news conference in Berlin on October 12, 2026.
The party leadership agreed on the proposal, Klingbeil said.
The planned election follows Bärbel Bas’s immediate resignation as SPD co-leader and labor minister.
Klingbeil said he supports keeping a leadership shared by a woman and a man but did not say whether he would run again.
- Who
- The SPD plans to elect its full leadership; co-leader Lars Klingbeil announced the plan.
- What
- A party conference around the turn of the year will elect the entire party leadership.
- When
- Around the turn of the year; the announcement was made on October 12, 2026.
- Where
- Berlin, where Klingbeil announced the plan at a news conference.
- Why
- Klingbeil said the election would provide clarity on the party’s personnel and political direction.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Bärbel Bas announced her immediate resignation as labor minister and SPD co-leader.
Klingbeil announced that an SPD party conference around the turn of the year would elect the entire party leadership.
- Planned election
- Full SPD leadership
- Timing
- Around the turn of the year
- Announcement
- October 12, 2026
- Announced by
- Lars Klingbeil, SPD leader and vice-chancellor
- Leadership model
- Klingbeil said he supports a woman-and-man leadership duo
What people are saying
damit wir Klarheit über die personelle Aufstellung und auch Klarheit über den programmatischen Kurs der SPD haben.
Ich werde jetzt alles dafür tun, dass die SPD die beste Aufstellung an der Spitze hat.
Für die Koalition bedeutet das natürlich gar nichts. Wir haben eine Aufgabe zu erfüllen hier für vier Jahre.
Sources
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