Köpping elected SPD top candidate with 97 percent
The current Minister of Social Affairs, Petra Köpping, will lead Saxony's SPD into next year's state parliamentary elections as the top candidate. The 65-year-old received 97 percent of the delegates' votes at the extraordinary state party conference in Neukieritzsch (Leipzig district) on Saturday. "Now let's spit in our hands, let's go," said Köpping after the election.
In her speech, Köpping had called for more willingness to tackle the most pressing problems in the Free State. The 65-year-old said that it was not enough to simply name the problems and enrich them with unworthy discussions. The local authorities needed more financial leeway to tackle problems in the areas of education, migration and healthcare.
The Greens and SPD are currently junior partners in a coalition with the CDU, which provides the Minister President. In the 2019 state elections, the Social Democrats achieved 7.7% of the vote in the state. They are currently polling at around this level.
Köpping, as the SPD's top candidate, emphasized the need for action-oriented parties to address the pressing issues in Saxony, such as education, migration, and healthcare. With the SPD and Greens forming a coalition with the CDU, there might be opportunities for further collaboration on these matters with other parties at the upcoming state parliamentary elections.
Source: www.dpa.com
