Calls for the resignation of SPD leaders Lars Klingbeil and Bärbel Bas grew louder after the party’s disastrous result in the Rhineland‑Palatinate state election.
During an interview with the “Spiegel” on Sunday evening, Niedersachsen SPD parliamentarian Doris Schröder‑Köpf said that she sees Ministerpräsidentin Anke Rehlinger, who has led the Saarland coalition, as the “successful top-level” of the SPD. “She is not part of the cabinet, which is an advantage in the current situation and she is close to the people” she added. “That closeness is important for the future policy direction that will be discussed”.
Schröder‑Kopf also demanded personnel changes at the federal level. She called for the current SPD chair and federal finance minister, Lars Klingbeil, to step down as vice‑chancellor, and urged that Boris Pistorius take over that post. “The public polls show that he has the trust of the German people more than any other politician” she said.
Beyond the vice‑chancellorship, Schröder‑Kopf suggested that other social‑democratic state leaders should play a stronger role within the party. She named Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern premier Manuela Schwesig and Lower Saxony premier Olaf Lies, urging that they remain in “enhanced responsibility”.
Former SPD state chair of Rhineland‑Palatinate Roger Lewentz also addressed the issue. Speaking to the TV station “Welt”, he asked for a clear separation between the SPD chair and ministerial duties. “The party needs a caretaker who can give it more visibility, rather than being tied simultaneously to a ministerial role” he said.
Lewentz said that discussions about dividing ministerial responsibilities and party leadership should happen at the federal level. He stressed that the SPD requires a stronger public profile as a party, not merely a government coalition stance. “We want to be taken seriously in Berlin on issues such as social justice and other priorities” he added. “That has not been achieved at the moment”.