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German press mulls resignation of SPD chief Andrea Nahles

  • June 02, 2019

Politics is unfair, German newspaper Die Welt noted. “Sometimes, so unfair that it’s hardly possible to bear,” the paper’s commentary ran. “You don’t need to be a friend of Andrea Nahles — her conservative image of society and her functional style — to appreciate the injustice of her resignation.”

Nahles had worked to restore the SPD’s credentials as a party for welfare, the newspaper said, so badly damaged by the reforms of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. As leader, Nahles has steered the party to the left, successfully pushing through their agenda of improving social welfare and working conditions as part of Angela Merkel’s coalition.

Read more: Collectivization remarks split German Social Democrats

“In this way, she’s not only shaped the social policy but also the economic policy of the grand coalition  ultimately more than Merkel,” Die Welt noted.

However, those efforts hadn’t translated into better polling, with the SPD’s vote share sinking to a historic low of 15.8% in May’s European elections. The SPD’s traditional voters hadn’t thanked the party, the newspaper said. 

While Nahles had the wherewithal to be an effective leader, this would be the case “only in an opposition role,” the Koblenz-based Rhein-Zeitung newspaper said. “For this, she would be almost perfect with her boisterious and, at times, unbridled temperament.”

  • Stephan Weil

    Who could take over as head of Germany’s Social Democrats?

    Stephan Weil, premier of Lower Saxony

    The 60-year-old leads a coalition of the SPD and the Christian Democrats in his northern state. In the Bundesrat — the council of Germany’s 16 states and upper house of parliament — he serves on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and is deputy chairman of the Committee on European Affairs. Many in the SPD have long seen him as a possible new hope to lead the party forward.

  • Manuela Schwesig

    Who could take over as head of Germany’s Social Democrats?

    Manuela Schwesig, premier of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

    Schwesig, born and raised in the former East Germany, is the first woman to lead the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The 45-year-old previously served as minister of family affairs under Chancellor Angela Merkel, a role she used to push for equal opportunities for women and better state childcare facilities. She serves on the Bundesrat’s Committee on Foreign Affairs.

  • Olaf Scholz

    Who could take over as head of Germany’s Social Democrats?

    Olaf Scholz, finance minister and vice chancellor

    Scholz, 60, is seen by some of his fellow party members as a technocrat and is considered to belong to the SPD’s conservative wing. As finance minister under Merkel, he has been committed to curbing public spending and keeping a lid on new debt. He also served as federal minister of labor and social affairs in Merkel’s Cabinet from 2007 to 2009.

  • Malu Dreyer

    Who could take over as head of Germany’s Social Democrats?

    Malu Dreyer, premier of Rhineland-Palatinate

    A reasonably popular figure in the SPD, Dreyer was voted in as deputy party chairwoman in 2017 with 97.5% backing. Despite repeatedly stating she would not want to leave her western state for Berlin, she is still seen as a possible replacement for Nahles. The 58-year-old has served as premier of Rhineland-Palatinate since 2013 and is the first woman to hold the office.

  • Rolf Mützenich

    Who could take over as head of Germany’s Social Democrats?

    Rolf Mützenich

    The 59-year-old Bundestag member from Cologne is one of the deputy chairs of the SPD’s parliamentary group. In that role, he is responsible for foreign affairs, defense and human rights policy. He is well respected within the party and could be tapped as interim SPD leader in the Bundestag.

  • Achim Post

    Who could take over as head of Germany’s Social Democrats?

    Achim Post, SPD leader in North Rhine-Westphalia

    The 60-year-old sociologist leads the SPD in Germany’s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia. He is a deputy chair of the SPD’s parliamentary group, overseeing budgetary affairs, finance and Europe. As secretary-general of the Party of European Socialists, he is also considered well connected at the European level.

  • Martin Schulz

    Who could take over as head of Germany’s Social Democrats?

    Martin Schulz, ex-SPD leader

    The former president of the European Parliament has been suggested as another possible challenger. The 63-year-old ran as the SPD’s candidate for chancellor in 2017 but lost to Merkel. He subsequently stepped down as SPD leader. He has already said he doesn’t want the job back, but Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper reported last week that he was keen to lead the SPD parliamentary group.


The newspaper speculated that Nahles’ “shrill tones” and “clowning around” could have been forgiven if the SPD were in opposition, but the coalition role required a diplomatic tact that was lacking. “The party and group leader managed, again and again, to smash the porcelain to pieces,” it said.

Freed from the burden

The Nürnberger Nachrichten newspaper observed that Nahles — like her predecessors — would now be free to watch events unfold from a safe distance. “She no longer has to bear the burden of responsibility for a party’s decline the likes of which have hardly been seen before.” Alluding to her possible successors, the paper predicted they would have a grace period of about 6 months, before the same difficulties began again.

Read more: Could Germany see a new left-wing coalition in government?

The Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung said “only someone who wins by a direct vote would have the necessary authority” to succeed Nahles successfully. “Whoever has the courage to stand after the party’s brutal dealings with Andrea Nahles would deserve respect for that alone.”

Andrea Nahles and Angela Merkel (picture-alliance/dpa/Bildfunkk/B. v. Jutrczenka)

It’s been a rocky time for the coalition of late, and Nahles resignation threatens to make it worse

“The SPD should not rush the question of whether the party should remain part of the (ruling SPD/CDU/CSU) coalition,” the paper opined. It noted that the party could point to achievements during its time in the latest iteration of the “grand coalition” and questioned whether it could get its message across any better by sitting in opposition.

A risky patch for coalition

For the news magazine Focus, the country as a whole could suffer from Nahles’ decision to step down. The magazine warned of the approach of a “dangerous period of insecurity” for the coalition.

“Andrea Nahles has stepped down and the situation is now highly dangerous, both for the coalition and for the country. It’s not as easy to deal with as some might think. The process of dissolution is increasingly out of control. Stability is not an end in itself but, without stability, little can change in this country.”

Read more: Most Germans find AKK unfit to replace Angela Merkel, poll finds

The Stuttgarter Zeitung mused about the possibility of an early general election, and ventured that this might not be a good thing for the SPD. “Miserable polling shows what the Social Democrats would have to expect from fresh elections.” While a snap poll could lead to the formation of a left-wing coalition, the SPD would merely act as “stirrup holders” to a senior coalition partner in the shape of the Greens.

“In the best of cases, it would only be a fatal minor role in the next change,” the paper said.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW’s editors send out a selection of the day’s hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.
 

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/german-press-mulls-resignation-of-spd-chief-andrea-nahles/a-49010383?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf

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