SPD’s Lars Klingbeil Elected as Leader of Bundestag Faction
In a secret ballot, Lars Klingbeil was elected as the new leader of the SPD’s Bundestag faction on Wednesday, receiving 95 out of 111 valid votes, which is 85.6 percent, according to faction spokesperson Ali von Wangenheim. Thirteen members of the faction voted no and three abstained.
Klingbeil takes over the leadership of the faction from Rolf Mützenich, who announced his resignation following the party’s election defeat and a crisis meeting on Sunday evening. In a letter to the faction’s members, Mützenich stated that the party leadership had concluded it would be beneficial for younger individuals to take the reins and for the party to consolidate its forces.