Parties - Former SPD mayor Geisel joins Wagenknecht
The former mayor of Düsseldorf and long-time Social Democrat Thomas Geisel wants to run for Sahra Wagenknecht 's new party in the European elections on June 9. The announcement was made on Friday at the Federal Press Conference. There, Wagenknecht will officially announce the founding of the party "Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht - Reason and Justice" on Monday in Berlin and present her proposal for the European leadership candidacy.
He will take part in the press conference in Berlin, but will not comment on further details beforehand, Geisel told the German Press Agency in Düsseldorf. Several media outlets had previously reported.
"The announcement comes as a surprise, particularly in view of Geisel's previous intention to run again as the SPD 's candidate for mayor of Düsseldorf and his efforts to this end within the party," the Düsseldorf SPD's executive committee announced. Geisel was elected mayor of the North Rhine-Westphalian state capital in 2014 and lost to the CDU in 2020.
Geisel's candidacy for Wagenknecht's party is not compatible with his previous membership of the SPD, either in terms of form or content, according to the statement from the SPD sub-district. "Sahra Wagenknecht and her alliance are on the side of the criminal Putin regime." Furthermore, she relativizes the urgency of climate protection and discredits migrants. Nevertheless, Geisel's work to date and his "undisputed merits" remain appreciated.
The organizational statutes of the Social Democrats contain an incompatibility clause that rules out simultaneous membership of the SPD and another competing political party or voters' association. A spokesperson for the NRW SPD told dpa that the SPD state association is not yet aware of Geisel's application to resign.
He had explained his motives to some of his comrades, Geisel told the dpa. In the letter, which is available to the online portal VierNull.de and the newspaper "Neue Westfälische", the 60-year-old explains that the decision was not easy for him. "Just under a month ago, I was honored for my 40-year membership of the SPD. I said at the time that everyone could rely on me remaining a Social Democrat for the rest of my life."
But social democrats in the tradition of Willy Brandt and Helmut Schmidt have become homeless in today's SPD. "In asylum and immigration policy, the SPD has been pursuing an ideologically driven policy of denying reality for almost 30 years now," is one of his arguments. Social benefits are being handed out "on credit". There was a lack of courage and imagination for tax reform. "My decision has been made and I would be delighted if many of you would follow me," he concludes his letter.
Wagenknecht's other personnel proposals include former member of the Bundestag and MEP Fabio de Masi, who previously belonged to the Left Party.
Organization statute of the SPD, §6 Statement of the SPD Düsseldorf Invitation to the Federal Press Conference
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- Thomas Geisel, the former mayor of Düsseldorf and a long-time Social Democrat, originally intended to run as the SPD's candidate for mayor of Düsseldorf again, but he has decided to join Sahra Wagenknecht's new party for the European elections on June 9.
- The announcement was made at a federal press conference on Friday, where Wagenknecht will officially launch her party "Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht - Reason and Justice" on Monday in Berlin.
- Geisel will be present at the press conference in Berlin but will not reveal further details until then, according to the German Press Agency.
- Geisel's decision to join Wagenknecht's party has caused tension within his former party, the SPD, particularly given his history as the mayor of Düsseldorf and his previous intention to run for office again.
- The SPD's North Rhine-Westphalia sub-district has criticized Wagenknecht's alliance for its perceived support of the Putin regime and its apparent lack of emphasis on climate change and migrant rights.
- Wagenknecht's new party has also received backing from former Bundestag and MEP Fabio de Masi, who was previously a member of the Left Party.
Source: www.stern.de
