SPD members vote for coalition agreement, Klingbeil becomes Vice Chancellor

The path to the election of Friedrich Merz as the new Federal Chancellor is clear. The SPD will enter a coalition with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU). With 84.6 percent of the vote, members approved the coalition agreement negotiated with the CDU and CSU , thus forming a joint government. The Süddeutsche Zeitung learned this from party sources. In 2013, the first vote of this kind resulted in 75.96 percent approval, and in 2018, 66.02 percent. In 2021, the SPD decided against the SPD because they themselves nominated Olaf Scholz as Chancellor.

However, member participation was significantly lower than in the previous two votes: In 2013, around 78 percent of eligible members voted, compared to 78.4 percent in 2018. This time, only 56 percent of SPD members participated. The Willy Brandt House pointed out that the vote took place during the Easter holidays and, for the first time, was largely digital. However, older members, in particular, also had the opportunity to vote in person.

The result was announced in a digital conference call by the SPD executive committee on Wednesday morning. The committee also voted unanimously to appoint party leader Lars Klingbeil as Vice Chancellor and Federal Finance Minister. The Süddeutsche Zeitung learned this from party sources. In the past two weeks, during which 358,322 eligible members were able to vote on the agreement, he had already remained calm about the outcome of the members' vote. "I am certain that the majority of members will approve it," Klingbeil said in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung a few days before the end of the vote .

Anyone who asked around at the grassroots level, however, quickly realized how much many members were struggling with the coalition agreement, and especially with Chancellor Merz . There was also criticism of some of the agreement's compromises , such as the stricter migration regulations with the possibility of directly rejecting asylum seekers at the borders, or the failure to enforce higher taxation of large assets and inheritances. Furthermore, it is uncertain whether the minimum wage will be increased to €15 as early as 2026. The left wing is also highly controversial about the planned abolition of the citizen's allowance, a return to the former Hartz IV model.

At information events, the leaders of the party, parliamentary group, and states tried everything to convince their comrades to support the proposal. They repeatedly emphasized the importance of the planned €500 billion special fund for infrastructure. However, many members said that if they agreed, it would not be out of conviction, but rather out of a sense of duty and responsibility to help Germany regain a stable government. Especially since many were faced with the question of alternatives: A minority government or new elections with an even stronger AfD? They would rather participate in government.

Especially since it's true that the SPD achieved a historically poor result in the federal election with 16.4 percent. Many members fear that a coalition with the CDU/CSU will likely see their polls sink even further. The party leadership, on the other hand, sees it as an opportunity to prove itself again in government – ​​and promoted it right up until the very end. "The coalition agreement does not replace the review of the election results or the necessary substantive and personnel renewal of the party," reads a WhatsApp message sent by the party shortly before the end of the membership vote. However, the agreement contains many concrete projects that will noticeably improve people's lives. "But only if the SPD is also responsible for their implementation."

With the positive vote by members, nothing now stands in the way of CDU leader Friedrich Merz being elected Chancellor next Tuesday. The CDU and CSU party committees had already approved the coalition agreement; they did not have a member vote like the SPD.

Merz and CSU leader Markus Söder have already presented their lineups for the federal cabinet . The SPD will not present its personnel table until May 5, the day before Merz is elected chancellor. It is considered certain that party leader Lars Klingbeil will become vice chancellor and finance minister, and Boris Pistorius will likely continue his work as defense minister. There could be surprises in all other positions—the SPD also provides the ministers for labor and social affairs, construction and housing, justice, the environment, and development, it was said.

The main question is what will happen to co-party leader Saskia Esken , whether she too should be given a ministerial post, for example, for development. There are currently considerable reservations about her in all areas of the party. Recently, even the general secretary of her own state association, Baden-Württemberg, opposed her. Sascha Binder told the Südkurier and the Badische Zeitung that he agreed with Saskia Esken that four of the seven cabinet posts should go to women. "But then it all comes down to who are the four best? And I don't see Saskia Esken among them."

Esken, on the other hand, received support primarily from the Young Socialists (Jusos) and the Social Democratic Women's Association. They complained about the way Esken, who has been part of the party leadership since 2019, was treated. But there was little support from leading comrades. Esken is particularly accused of public appearances that repeatedly harm the party. At the same time, with her network on the left wing, she has repeatedly been a guarantor of internal party unity. Klingbeil, in keeping with his political style, tries to find solutions through joint discussions, but recently he has been accused of letting things run their course .

If the impression ultimately prevails that Esken was pressured to forgo a ministerial post, this could become a burden for the party. The idea is that the woman is being pressured to step down while the man continues to expand his power. If Esken is not given a ministerial post, the question arises as to whether she will at least run for party chair again. The federal party conference was brought forward from December to the end of June. If Esken does not run again, current Bundestag President Bärbel Bas is being considered as a new part of the dual leadership with Klingbeil.