Political Gatherings - Challenging beginnings for Berlin's dual SPD leadership.
The Berlin SPD's new leaders, Martin Hikel and Nicola Böcker-Giannini, have a challenging job ahead of them. During the election at a party conference on Saturday, 65.5% of voters selected Hikel and 67.6% chose Böcker-Giannini. These outcomes reflect the results of a non-binding member survey. Despite wanting to take the party forward for subsequent elections, their mixed performance may cause issues. Böcker-Giannini responded positively, referring to an "honest result."
This tough start indicates that the SPD in Berlin has significant internal disagreements. Hikel and Böcker-Giannini's political stance supports the more practical, moderate faction that doesn't question the current coalition, with the SPD acting as the CDU's junior partner. They need to work hard to unite their party and improve their position for the future.
Hikel, Neukölln's district mayor, and Böcker-Giannini, the former Secretary of State for Sport, replace the previous dual leadership composed of Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey and parliamentary group leader Raed Saleh, who had been in office since 2020. In the 2023 repeat election, the SPD came in third place, scoring the worst result in history at 18.4%. Consequently, they colluded with the CDU and formed a new coalition after six and a half years in the alliance with the Greens and the Left Party. The SPD, which has 18,000 members, has been criticized quite a bit since then.
Böcker-Giannini and Hikel urged their party to unite and work together. "Let's display solidarity and remain united throughout the next few years," Böcker-Giannini stated before her election. "If we can't accomplish this, the SPD in Berlin risks being sidelined for a long time," Hikel said. They believe that "endless party bickering, insults, slander, and a surplus of arrogance" must stop. Rather, the SPD must focus on the most significant issues. "Because what we do here is not just for our SPD—it's about this city, our country, and the people we need to look after," added Böcker-Giannini.
The topics prioritized by both were affordable housing, equal opportunities in education, and a "strong state" for enhanced security. Hikel insisted on aligning social democratic policies with the daily lives of people in Berlin, implying a need to test long-held beliefs. "Strong shoulders must bear more weight than weak ones," he continued, "so that our society remains strong and can help people again."
Böcker-Giannini discussed the 30-euro ticket for public transportation to be introduced in Berlin on July 1 with a critical eye. While they supported its implementation, they called for its effectiveness to be assessed within a year: "We are in favor of it, just as we promised it as the SPD," she said. "But we also demand that its impact be evaluated." The concerns are that this initiative might undermine the success of the 49-euro Germany ticket and cost nearly 300 million euros per year.
Giffey, who acted as governing mayor for around one and a half years, didn't try for the party leadership. Saleh attempted to combine forces with district politician Luise Lehmann but failed in the member poll.
The new personnel changes, including the entire state executive committee, may affect the coalition with the CDU, which has generally been effective to date. The work of governing will not be less challenging since the new SPD leaders hope to improve the party's image. Their ambitious goals could potentially create conflicts with the CDU as they anticipate the 2026 House of Representatives elections.
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Source: www.stern.de
