Young Socialists chief Türmer: SPD should drop dual leadership, but only for a woman
Ahead of the SPD leadership election in January, Young Socialists chief Türmer argues for a sole female leader. Party leader Klingbeil wants a dual leadership of a woman and a man again.
Archive image · Photo: Philipp Kress / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Philipp Türmer, head of the SPD youth wing Jusos, has proposed that the party abolish its dual leadership before electing a new executive in January. The dual leadership was not fixed for all time, he told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung. "I can imagine a woman as sole leader," he said, but not a man alone at the top.
The original aim of strengthening women had not worked well, Türmer argued: the women at the top had drawn most of the criticism and in effect shielded the men beside them. "Especially since we have very strong women whom I would trust to lead the party on their own." On Saturday, Türmer had already demanded that party leader Lars Klingbeil not run again for the chairmanship if he wanted to remain finance minister and vice chancellor.
The debate was triggered by Bärbel Bas stepping down as co-leader in October. Klingbeil wants the SPD to be led again by a woman and a man, although this is not mandatory. The party conference in January will elect the entire leadership and could scrap the dual leadership by resolution.