SPD in the Zwickmühle: coalition agreement or new elections?

SPD in the Zwickmühle: coalition agreement or new elections?

Hannover, Deutschland - On April 14, 2025, the highly expected member vote of the SPD begins on the coalition agreement with the Union, which was announced by party leader Lars Klingbeil at a party conference in Hanover. According to Klingbeil, the vote on Tuesday from 8 a.m. to April 29 at 11:59 p.m. will take, whereby the result is to be announced on April 30th. The party leads intensively for approval, while the Jusos, the youth organization of the SPD, have already announced to reject the contract.

A central topic of the discussion is the question of the alternative loss of the coalition agreement. Klingbeil emphasizes that there is no good alternative in the democratic middle. A majority of the votes and a participation of at least 20% of the members are required to accept the contract. The CSU board has already approved the contract, the CDU will vote on this on April 28. In the event of approval, CDU boss Friedrich Merz could be elected Chancellor in the Bundestag on May 6th.

key points of the coalition agreement

In the negotiations, the SPD was able to enforce some important points, including increasing the minimum wage to 15 euros and tax cuts for small and medium -sized incomes. Despite the success, the mood is tense. As indicated by Merz, the new minimum wage could not come into force until 2026 as planned. At the same time, Saskia Esken calls for a rapid decision by the minimum wage commission.

Hubertus Heil warns of CDU propaganda regarding the minimum wage and emphasizes the need to increase the minimum wage poverty festival. Klingbeil also appeals to the responsibility of the members, because a failure of the coalition agreement could lead to new elections or a minority government. The SPD receives seven of the 16 ministries as part of the contract, which is a disproportionate influence for the party.

criticism of Jusos and challenges

Philipp Türmer, chairman of the young socialists, announced the rejection of the vote and criticized the social and migration policy of the coalition agreement. He described the financing reservation in the contract as a "ticking time bomb". This illustrates the internal party tensions and the challenges in front of which the SPD is facing.

In another political context, the statements by Jens Spahn, the Union faction vice, provided outrage within the SPD. Saskia Esken described these statements as "outrageous and dangerous". She emphasizes that the AfD is not a democratic party, while Spahn warns that the AfD does not want to combat the AfD with "process knitting". This discussion shows how strongly the political landscape is polarized.

Stephan Weil, Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, emphasizes the opportunity for the SPD to strengthen itself again and emphasizes the importance of the planned government for democracy. Despite the challenges that lie in front of the party, there are efforts to form a stable and sustainable government coalition.

The outcome of the membership will be crucial to determine the direction of German politics in the coming years. While the SPD indicates its own success in the negotiations, it remains to be seen how the members will react to the conditions presented.

For a comprehensive overview of the developments related to the coalition negotiations, please visit lvz and ZDF .