Former SPD chairman Kurt Beck has warned against removing the party’s current leaders, Lars Klingbeil and Bärbel Bas, after recent electoral losses. He told the “Bild” newspaper that the focus should be on substantive policy questions and how to reach people with the SPD’s politics, not on personnel changes. The defeat in Rhineland‑Palatinate hurt him personally, noting that many within the party had “worked hard and built something”. That bitter result only deepens the pain when the state was otherwise in a good position with strong candidates. Beck does not blame Rhineland‑Palatinate itself; rather, he points to nationwide data indicating a gloomy baseline mood among voters, which he believes underlies the outcome. He contrasts this with his opponent Schweitzer’s better performance, which he sees as mainly due to that broad negative sentiment that left him powerless. Additionally, Beck cites the rise of the AfD, noting that the far‑right were less influential in his era, and that their current strength draws in a portion of the electorate that the SPD cannot yet reach.
Kurt Beck Urges SPD to Oust Klingbeil and Bas After Election Blunders
