German Social Democrat leader Andrea Nahles to step down after EU poll losses
Andrea Nahles, the leader of Germany's SPD, has
announced her resignation following poor results for her party at the
European elections. The move could destabilize Angela Merkel's
coalition.
Andrea Nahles has announced her resignation as leader of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) and its parliamentary group, saying she wanted to give the party the chance to organize her successor in an orderly manner.
The choice of Nahles' successor could prove crucial for Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose conservative Christian Democrats CDU/CSU lead the German government in coalition with the Social Democrats. A more left-leaning leader of the SPD could potentially take the party out of the alliance, ending Merkel's chancellorship.
"The discussions within the parliamentary group and the large amount of feedback from the party have shown me that there is no longer support for me in holding these offices," Nahles wrote in a statement to SPD members on Sunday. She said she would step down as party leader on Monday and as parliamentary leader on Tuesday.
Initial signals from the CDU suggest the conservatives are determined to keep the coalition together. "What is important now is that the CDU emphasizes its responsibility to the coalition and the government work," an anonymous party insider told the Reuters news agency. Both Merkel and her successor as CDU leader, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, are due to give statements later on Sunday afternoon.
Andrea Nahles recognized a poor showing for the SPD in the European elections
Working with Merkel
But Olaf Scholz, the vice chancellor and now the most senior SPD politician in Germany, has already ruled out another coalition with the CDU, at least following the next election. "Three grand coalitions in a row would not do democracy in Germany any good," Scholz told the Tagesspiegel newspaper on Saturday, before Nahles' announcement. "No one wants a continuation of the current coalition after 2021 — not the citizens, not the CDU and certainly not us Social Democrats."
The German dpa news agency has reported that SPD leadership is to hold a crisis summit on Sunday afternoon. However, a party conference will be required to elect a new leader, which will take some weeks to organize.
Other leading SPD politicians have warned against making any hasty decisions. In a statement posted on Facebook on Sunday, deputy SPD leader Ralf Stegner called for the party to end internal bickering as it chooses a new leader. "The style of interaction within the SPD in the last days and weeks has not been marked by the social-democratic value of solidarity at all," he wrote. "If we want to win new trust and overcome this grave crisis, this must fundamentally change."
Nahles' resignation follows her party's dire result at the European Parliament elections in May, which saw the SPD come in third behind the CDU and the environmentalist Greens, with only 15.8% of the German vote, an 11-point drop from the last EU election in 2014.
But Nahles' announcement is still something of a surprise, coming after she called a vote on her leadership for Tuesday. She also appears to be withdrawing from her political career altogether. Citing a party spokesperson, dpa and the Funke Media Group reported that Nahles intends to resign her seat in the Bundestag, though a date for that departure has not been set.
First female leader
Nahles became leader of the SPD in April 2018, having led the party's parliamentary group since September 2017. Nahles is the first woman to have headed the party, which has roots going back to 1863, making it the oldest existing party in the German parliament.
Since 2013, the SPD has governed in "grand coalitions" with the conservative bloc formed by Merkel's CDU and the Bavarian Christian Social Union.
But following a historically poor result in the 2017 general election, when the party gained only 20.5% of the national vote, there was intense pressure from the party's grassroots membership and left-wing not to join forces with Merkel once again.
The widespread perception among political analysts and party members is that governing under Merkel's shadow has only damaged the party, leaving it unable to find a clear political profile. Nevertheless, the SPD was crucial in shaping some of Merkel's government policies, including introducing a national minimum wage.
It was only after the collapse of Merkel's talks with the business-friendly Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Greens in late 2017 that the SPD leadership opted to help the chancellor form a new government after all, with Nahles one of the chief proponents of the move.
------------------------
We have a very special Betty MacDonald fan club surprise for you.
Tell us your favourite satirical text of Wolfgang Hampel's book Satire ist mein Lieblingstier, please and you'll get several fascinating Betty MacDonald fan club items for free.
Wolfgang Hampel's very successful book is available in many countries around the world. ( see links below )
Don't miss this unique Betty MacDonald fan club offer, please.
Wolfgang Hampel's very witty book 'Satire ist mein Lieblingstier' ( Satire is my favourite animal ) is No 1 Buecher de TOP List.
Wolfgang
Hampels sehr witziges Buch ' Satire ist mein Lieblingstier' ( Satire is
my favourite animal ) ist No 1 Buecher de TOP Liste.
Many greetings - viele Grüße
Mats
Many greetings - viele Grüße
Mats
buecher.de - Schnell, Günstig, Versandkostenfrei
Ich habe dieses Buch gekauft, weil Krimi-Königin Ingrid Noll Wolfgang ... sehr, daß wir die monatliche literarische Veranstaltung Vita Magica von Wolfgang Hampel bald einmal besuchen können.
Wolfgang Hampel's Satire ist mein Lieblingstier in Buecher de TOP list
You can order Wolfgang Hampel 'Satire ist mein Lieblingstier' (Satire is my favourite animal)
U.S.A.
United Kingdom
Australia
Austria
Brazil
Czechia
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Hungary
Italy
Japan
Mexico
Norway
Poland
Romania
Slovak Republic
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
The Netherlands
Wolfgang Hampel - Satire ist mein Lieblingstier ( Satire is my favourite animal )
Informationen über die Kultveranstaltung "Vita Magica" der Akademie für Ältere in Heidelberg
Wolfgang Hampel - Satire ist mein Lieblingstier ( Satire is my favourite animal )
Many ESC fans from all over the world are so very sad because we lost Joy Fleming - one of the best singers ever.
Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel sings 'Try to remember' especially for Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund at Vita Magica September
you can join
Betty MacDonald fan club
Betty MacDonald Society
Vita Magica
Eurovision Song Contest Fan Club
Wolfgang Hampel - Betty MacDonald fan club - and Vita Magica Founder
on Facebook
Vita Magica Betty MacDonald event with Wolfgang Hampel, Thomas Bödigheimer and Friedrich von Hoheneichen
Vita Magica
Betty MacDonald
Betty MacDonald fan club
Betty MacDonald fan club on Facebook
Betty MacDonald forum
Wolfgang Hampel - Wikipedia ( English )
Wolfgang Hampel - Wikipedia ( English ) - The Egg and I
Wolfgang Hampel - Wikipedia ( Polski)
Wolfgang Hampel - Wikipedia ( German )
Wolfgang Hampel - LinkFang ( German )
Wolfgang Hampel - Academic ( German )
Wolfgang Hampel - cyclopaedia.net ( German )
Wolfgang Hampel - DBpedia ( English / German )
Wolfgang Hampel - people check ( English )
Wolfgang Hampel - Memim ( English )
Vashon Island - Wikipedia ( German )
Wolfgang Hampel - Monica Sone - Wikipedia ( English )
Wolfgang Hampel - Ma and Pa Kettle - Wikipedia ( English )
Wolfgang Hampel - Ma and Pa Kettle - Wikipedia ( French )
Wolfgang Hampel - Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - Wikipedia ( English)
Wolfgang Hampel in Florida State University
Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel
Betty MacDonald fan club interviews on CD/DVD
Betty MacDonald fan club items
Betty MacDonald fan club items - comments
Betty MacDonald fan club - The Stove and I
Betty MacDonald fan club groups
Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund
