SPD: Mahmut Özdemir tipped as general secretary under Heil
If Hubertus Heil becomes SPD leader in January, the Duisburg MP could become general secretary. Özdemir criticises party leaders who also serve as ministers.
Archive image · Photo: Olaf Kosinsky / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de (cropped and resized)
A new name has emerged in the SPD's leadership debate: Duisburg Bundestag member Mahmut Özdemir is being mentioned as a possible general secretary, according to Welt, should former Labour Minister Hubertus Heil take over as chair after the party congress in January. Heil did not rule out a bid in an interview with Der Spiegel: “That is possible.” Özdemir said he was “ready at any time” to help reorganise the party. Of Heil he said: “Hubertus Heil has always proven that he takes responsibility for the SPD especially in times of crisis.”
Özdemir also sharply criticised the current leadership structure. Party chair Lars Klingbeil also serves as federal finance minister. “Unfortunately, the SPD is not more recognisable when the party leaders are at the same time ministers in the unloved grand coalition,” Özdemir said. A chair in government can only represent compromises, and the government's mistakes are blamed on the SPD, he argued. “There has been unbearable unrest at the grassroots for a long time,” the MP said. He also called for a higher basic tax allowance to offset bracket creep.