Bärbel Bas: New hope for the ailing SPD in North Rhine-Westphalia!

Bärbel Bas: New hope for the ailing SPD in North Rhine-Westphalia!

The prospect of a new era in the SPD is there: Bärbel Bas is expected to take over the leadership of the Social Democratic Party of Germany alongside Lars Klingbeil. This emerges from the reports from WDR and nd-aktuell, which observed the developments at the recently held state party conference of the NRW-SPD in Duisburg. Bas, who served as President of the Bundestag until March 2023, has an impressive social democratic career that took her from office assistant to minister. She always viewed her political paths through the lens of social justice.

The party is navigating stormy waters, which is also made clear by the incoming key proposal from the state congress. A “fundamental crisis of credibility” is diagnosed, while the traffic light coalition’s “stop-and-go election campaign” is heavily criticized. In the 2021 federal election, the SPD achieved the worst result in its recent history with 16.4 percent, which only increases the pressure on the new chairmen. According to WDR, the delegates want a return to their own roots in order to win back the working middle class. WDR reports that...

Bärbel Bas at the top

Bärbel Bas, who has played a central role as Federal Minister for Labor and Social Affairs in recent years, will hopefully bring a breath of fresh air into the party. Her career began in a financially strained family in Walsum, and she has worked tirelessly for social issues since joining the SPD in 1988. “I don’t have a panacea for the party,” said Bas, “but I would like to strengthen the voice of the working center again.” She has also commented on critical issues such as citizens' money, which has led to discussions within the party. Nd-aktuell reports that...

During her time as minister, Bas has already presented pension plans that would also include civil servants and the self-employed in statutory pension insurance. However, she is also confronted with contradictory reactions. Critics complain that their proposals are based on thin data and that there is a lack of reliable figures on organized social fraud.

The challenges of the traffic light coalition

A central point on the SPD's agenda is the discussion about defense spending and the possibility of a return to compulsory military service. These topics cause debates within the party, especially among the Jusos and the party left. Here Michelle Gnatzy from the NRW Jusos speaks out and advocates for a clear stance: voluntariness instead of compulsory military service must be the motto.

At the party conference in Duisburg, the first steps towards strengthening the self-image of the NRW SPD were also discussed. NRW co-party leader Sarah Philipp and parliamentary group leader Jochen Ott emphasized that the party would like to bring the issues of working families more to the fore. Philipp described Bas as a “great woman” who is the right choice for this sensitive time. She is supported by Achim Post, who is running for deputy chairman, and Dietmar Nietan, who is aiming for the position of treasurer. According to WDR there is...

A significant event will be the party conference of the SPD federal association at the end of June, where the delegates will officially decide on Bas' candidacy. It remains exciting to see whether the party with Bas at the helm can find its way out of its crisis and whether the social democratic voice in Germany will gain weight again. While Lars Klingbeil remains as party leader and also takes over the office of Finance Minister and Vice Chancellor, Saskia Esken will no longer run after a suitable farewell. Looking back at the election debacle seems to have been a point for Esken to draw the consequences - something that many of Klingbeil partially miss.

The Cologne SPD will now look forward to developments in the coming weeks, when Bärbel Bas and Lars Klingbeil try to bring about a turnaround and convince voters again.