Youth wing chief says Klingbeil should not run again for SPD leadership
Ahead of the SPD leadership vote in January, Young Socialists leader Philipp Türmer opposed another bid by Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil and named Hubertus Heil and Manuela Schwesig as alternatives.
Archive image · Photo: Gabriel Hanika / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
The leader of the Social Democrats' youth wing, Philipp Türmer, has come out against Lars Klingbeil seeking another term as SPD co-leader. "If Lars Klingbeil wants to remain finance minister and vice chancellor, he should not run again as chair," Türmer told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung. He said he had seen no clear strategy during Klingbeil's nearly ten years as general secretary and leader for how to lift the party.
Türmer named former Labour Minister Hubertus Heil and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania premier Manuela Schwesig as possible alternatives. Schwesig was ultimately suitable for any role, he said, but whether she runs was her decision. Türmer said he would not commit to anyone yet and rejected a comeback by Sigmar Gabriel.
The SPD plans to elect its entire leadership at a party congress in January. Bärbel Bas announced on Oct. 12 that she was stepping down as party leader and minister. Klingbeil has not ruled out another bid, according to dpa, and no one has officially declared a candidacy.