Giffey does not want to run for SPD state leadership again

Board election - Giffey does not want to run for SPD state leadership again

The SPD state chairwoman Franziska Giffey does not want to run for office again. She announced this on Wednesday afternoon in a letter to the members of her party's state association, which was obtained by Deutsche Presse-Agentur. "The past few months have shown that there is a desire for a reorganization in our party and that we need not only structural but also personnel changes and a new leadership model," it says.

"In my view, it is crucial for overcoming the enormous challenges we face that responsibility is spread across several shoulders, that we broaden the base of our party and that we get more people to take responsibility for these major challenges of the future." In order to make this possible, she has decided not to run again for the chairmanship of the Berlin SPD in the party elections in May.

"I will focus all my energy on the other tasks I am performing for our party." Giffey is Senator for Economic Affairs, member of the House of Representatives, coordinator of the SPD-led senate administrations and mayor. "My commitment continues to be to our SPD - especially for the upcoming election campaign for the partial repeat of the Bundestag elections and the European elections."

The announcement is not entirely surprising: Giffey was heavily criticized within the Berlin SPD after losing the repeat election in February. Not only the Jusos, but also several district associations spoke out against a coalition with the CDU, which Giffey and her co-chairman Raed Saleh were campaigning for. In a member vote, there was only a narrow majority in favor of a black-red coalition.

At the state party conference last May, the delegates also decided that politicians who are senators, state secretaries or parliamentary group leaders should no longer be in the majority on the seven-member executive board. According to the resolution, the dual leadership should also "not consist entirely" of people who also play a key role in government. This has been the case until now.

One of the two - Giffey or Saleh - would therefore have to relinquish the office - or their position in the Senate or at the head of the parliamentary group. Within the SPD, it has long been considered likely that Giffey would be the one to back out. However, this is not a complete withdrawal from party work in the state association.

Giffey can assume that she will continue to be a member of the extended executive committee as Senator for Economic Affairs. And the question of who will stand as the lead candidate in the next parliamentary elections remains open. Although it is customary for the state chairpersons to have the first right of access, it is conceivable that Giffey could raise her finger. Who could succeed her at the head of the state association is considered open - no one has publicly expressed an interest so far.

The SPD chairwoman wrote in her letter that the turn of the year was a time to pause and refocus. She also used the time to reflect on the right path for the Berlin SPD. In Giffey's view, three things are necessary for the capital's Social Democrats to have a future. "Only those in government can really shape policy," she emphasized in the letter to her comrades.

"Secondly, good politics begins with looking at reality and speaking out about what is going on." Problems must be addressed openly. "We need a pragmatic, progressive and citizen-oriented left-of-center policy that addresses people's needs."

Thirdly, the SPD needs cohesion in order to be successful - the state executive, parliamentary group and members of the Senate must pull together. "Only then do we have a chance of moving forward again in 2026 and decisively confronting the opponents of democracy."

The SPD parliamentary group announced that it had taken note of Giffey's decision with great respect. "In difficult times, she has led two election campaigns and has done or is doing very good work for Berlin as Governing Mayor and Mayoress." It is still unclear whether parliamentary group and party leader Saleh will run again at the party conference.