After municipal elections - Dispute in the SPD: Open Letter Calls for New Start
Prominent SPD members in Sachsen-Anhalt demand a new start for the party after poor performance in Municipal Elections. The communes are deserted, as stated in an open letter signed by 16 party members as the first signatories. The "Mitteldeutsche Zeitung" reported this first.
"We are simply no longer present in wide parts of this federal state", complain the signatories in the letter. Membership is outdated, and in numerous places, there is a lack of candidates for the leadership of local associations and district associations. "We have become invisible", so the conclusion.
Prominent signatories include the chairman of Table Germany, Andreas Steppuhn, the former Bundestag member Burkhard Lischka, the president of the City and Community Association Sachsen-Anhalt, Andreas Dittmann, and the former Economics Minister of Sachsen-Anhalt, Jörg Felgner.
The party must be thought anew from the grassroots. Old structures must be transformed, as stated in the open letter. Criticism also comes from the party leadership. Suggestions, ideas, or tips are being suppressed. "Our SPD in the state is hardly noticed by anyone now, and thus the next state election is predictably a disaster." Therefore, it is now the time to shake things up. Individual representatives will also run for the Landesvorsitz and the Landesvorstand. The SPD received only 11.9% of the votes for the district councils nationwide.
"Surprised, but not alarmed"
For the two co-Landesvorsitzenden Juliane Kleemann and Andreas Schmidt, the letter comes as a surprise but not an alarm. "We deal with all the topics addressed in the letter", explained Schmidt. "We welcome the fact that more people are expressing concerns about the party." However, it must also be noted that communication does not reach everyone in the party equally, as Kleemann points out. "I take it as an invitation and encouragement." Some things will always remain construction sites, especially in member recruitment, where there is generally a reluctance to join organizations.
The next SPD party conference in Sachsen-Anhalt is scheduled for mid-October. So far, only the co-Landesvorsitzenden Kleemann and Schmidt have announced their candidacy for the Vorsitzamt. Spontaneous applications are also possible during the party conference itself.
- The poor performance of the SPD in the municipal elections in Saxony-Anhalt led prominent members, such as Andreas Schmidt, to demand a new start for the party in the Middle German Newspaper.
- Andreas Schmidt, along with other party members, expressed their concern in an open letter about the SPD's absence in numerous parts of Germany and the lack of candidates in municipal elections.
- Despite the open letter urging transformation of old structures and addressing suppression of criticism, co-Landesvorsitzenden Juliane Kleemann and Andreas Schmidt view it as a surprise but not an alarm.
- Andreas Schmidt, in acknowledging the concerns raised in the open letter, maintains that the party is actively addressing the topics, emphasizing the importance of equal communication within the organization.
- With the upcoming SPD party conference in Saxony-Anhalt scheduled for mid-October, Andreas Schmidt and Juliane Kleemann have announced their candidacy for the Vorsitzamt, welcoming spontaneous applications during the conference.
