A German Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader, Lars Klingbeil, views the election results as a bitter defeat for the party, which will likely lead to personnel changes. “We are the losers tonight, so I am now focused on ensuring the renewal of the SPD is pushed forward” Klingbeil told the RTL/ntv news agency.
He added that the party must draw consequences from the election outcome, or risk making a significant mistake. “If we do not take consequences from this election result, then we would make a big error, so it’s about a double task we have.”
Klingbeil also attributed the rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to internal SPD conflicts. “I believe that one of the main reasons for the AfD’s strengthening is that we had this miserable squabble, the heating cost bill has also made a big impact, people are uncertain. We are, however, also living in times of great change. The changes in people’s daily lives are there and I believe that, combined with the general upheavals in society and this squabble, it has made a lot of damage.