Klingbeil leads SPD after election shock: power play or self-empowerment?

Klingbeil leads SPD after election shock: power play or self-empowerment?

Three days after the SPD's historic election defeat, the course has been set for the new leadership: Lars Klingbeil was elected chairman of the parliamentary group. With 85.6 percent of the vote, he received significantly less support than his predecessor Rolf Mützenich in previous elections. Klingbeil, who is considered a strong man in the SPD, will lead the party into talks about a potential coalition with the Union. However, it remains unclear whether he will remain as parliamentary group leader after successful negotiations or move to the federal government, possibly as vice-chancellor oe24 reported.

In the shadow of defeat, the party leadership faces criticism. Juso chairman Philipp Türmer and former party strategist Matthias Machnig expressed skepticism about Klingbeil's actions. Türmer spoke of a fatal impression of failure, while Machnig denounced Klingbeil's self-empowerment. The SPD, whose vote share fell from 25.7 to 16.4 percent in the election, is in the worst crisis in its history. The parliamentary group is shrinking dramatically from 207 to 120 members. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has already made it clear that he will not be involved in forming a government, which further complicates the situation.

Financial outlook and debt rules

ZDF reported.