Despite a crushing election defeat, the leader of the Social Democrats is on track to become Germany’s second-in-command

By Nick Alipour

Sunday’s election night also ended an era in German politics. 

Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the Social Democrats (SPD) was the first to announce his withdrawal from frontline politics after the defeat of his party, which came third with the storied party’s worst parliamentary election result since 1887.  

The sacked former finance minister of Scholz’s coalition, Christian Lindner, and Economy Minister Robert Habeck of the Greens, followed suit as their parties underperformed.

With the leading trio of the three-party ‘traffic-light coalition’ headed for the exit, their parties are in for an intense reshuffle. 

The SPD reshuffle could be the fastest – and the most important, as it won’t just determine the face of the party, but also the likely face of Germany’s next government. That’s because the SPD are the preferred junior partners for the election winners, the Christian Democrats, and party leaders are set to open coalition talks soon. 

Scholz had barely assumed the responsibility for the “bad” election result on Sunday night when Lars Klingbeil, the current SPD co-chairman, took the stage to announce that there would be a “change of generation” at the top of the party. 

As it turned out, the 47-year-old Klingbeil had himself in mind: later on election night, he said he would seek the leadership of the party’s parliamentary group, a decision that MPs rubber-stamped on Wednesday.

That extends Klingbeil’s growing influence to parliamentary politics.

Architect of failure

Some had expected Klingbeil to step down given the disastrous election result under his watch. But neither he nor his co-leader, Saskia Esken, gave way.

The party had a viable alternative: Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, Germany’s most popular politician. Many had tipped Pistorius to take a leading role after the election, and there had even been a short-lived effort to replace Scholz with Pistorius as the party’s top candidate in election campaign.

Klingbeil’s power grab on Sunday, as the votes were being counted in a historic defeat, did not go down well with everyone in the SPD. 

“Of course, both party leaders bear responsibility for the candidate, the campaign and thus also for the election defeat,” Philipp Türmer, the leader of the SPD youth wing, told Spiegel magazine on Monday. 

Klingbeil’s move was tantamount to “one of the architects of failure reaching for the parliamentary leadership”, he added. 

“Everyone has to ask themselves: What is best for the party? Not: What is best for my career?” 

One source familiar with the matter told Euractiv that quite a few within the party vented their anger over Klingbeil’s style at the man himself, who reportedly reacted with understanding. 

However, Klingbeil, a regular guest in talk shows, is appreciated within the party for his ability to communicate, according to the source, pointing to one reason why he might survive the defeat. 

Some 85% of the SPD’s incoming lawmakers voted to confirm Klingbeil’s new role as leader of the parliamentary faction on Wednesday, despite his deep involvement in the failed election campaign. That he fell short of his predecessor’s result (94%), was a warning signal, still.

Kingmaker

The promotion marks a new peak for Klingbeil in his ongoing climb toward the top of the party. 

Klingbeil’s rise began in earnest in 2017 when the then-MP – who specialised in digital policy – took the position of SPD general secretary, the number three of the party. He rose to party co-chair in 2021 and played a key role in the party’s surprise election victory, which elevated Scholz to the Chancellery. 

During that time, Klingbeil has shapeshifted ideologically. He was once part of a faction of particularly left-wing MPs, but has turned into more of a pragmatist as he’s risen in leadership. That provides potentially fertile ground for coalition negotiations with conservative Christian Democrat Friedrich Merz, Germany’s likely next chancellor.

Klingbeil has gone into talks with a muscular stance, demanding higher wages, stable pensions, billions in economic investment, and a more conciliatory tone from the hardline conservative Merz.

He is now in pole position to reshape the leadership ranks of both the SPD and the next government. Up for grabs are ministerial posts, top jobs in the party and the plum position of vice-chancellor.  

The key jobs could be divvied up between Klingbeil, Pistorius, and Bärbel Bas, the current president of the Bundestag. German media reported that the trio would lead a six-person negotiating team, alongside three German state premiers, for exploratory talks with Merz’s Christian Democrats starting from 6 March. 

One notable name not mentioned: Esken, who risks being sidelined as Klingbeil grabs a more powerful role. 

An SPD spokesperson dismissed the reports about the negotiating plans, telling Euractiv and other media: “Exploratory talks and coalitions are negotiated by parties. It goes without saying that the party leaders lead the delegation to these talks.”

That’s a sign that Esken won’t bow out, at least without a fight. 

At least Merz has already recognised Klingbeil as his main interlocutor, it seems. The two leaders already coordinated in phone calls both on Sunday and Monday.

Source: Euractiv.com