Rhineland-Palatinate's Chief Minister, Dreyer, steps down from office.
Over the past couple of weeks, a significant decision has been brewing. Initially, she had planned to make major decisions about another leadership position only in the summer. Now, she's "a bit taken aback by her own choice".
Alexander Schweitzer, the current Labor Minister, is set to replace Dreyer as Minister-President. The selection of the new leader is anticipated to happen on July 10 within the Landtag. The upcoming Landtag election is projected for the spring of 2026.
Dreyer has served as Minister-President of Rhineland-Palatinate since 2013. At 63, she's leading a coalition involving the SPD, FDP, and Greens. Prior to her appointment as a Regional Chief, she was a labor and social minister under the then Minister-President Kurt Beck (SPD).
Schweitzer himself commented, "I'm taking over some big shoes here." Schweitzer has been Labor Minister since 2021. Before that, he served as the SPD faction leader for seven years. The attorney joined the SPD in 1989.
Between 2006 and 2009, Schweitzer was a member of the Landtag, and he's been there consistently since 2013. The 50-year-old served as the State Secretary in the Economics Ministry. Between January 2013 and November 2014, he was the Social Minister under Dreyer. Since 2021, he's been leading the restructured Labor and Social Ministry.
The SPD state chairman, Roger Lewentz, is also planning to retire. The new state chairman is expected to be the current SPD faction leader, Sabine Baetzing-Lichtenthaeler, as per SPD communications. The election for the new party leadership is predicted to take place in November.
Dreyer's resignation received mixed responses in politics. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) "took note of Frau Dreyer's announcement with great respect," said the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal Government, Christiane Hoffmann, in Berlin. Scholz holds Dreyer in high regard as a dependable and popular politician.
"Rhineland-Palatinate is losing a capable, always accessible, and friendly Minister-President," Bundesjustizminister Marco Buschmann (FDP) stated. Respect for the decision and thanks were expressed by the Rhineland-Palatinate FDP and the Greens, Dreyer's coalition partners, and SPD Federal Chairman Saskia Esken.
Dreyer's retirement was met with respect, Christian Baldauf, CDU state chairman, declared. "But it also signifies the end of a long-standing stalemate in Rhineland-Palatinate," he added. The state government had been inactive on key political issues. With Schweitzer, a longtime associate of Dreyer, as her successor, it's not exactly a fresh start for the SPD.
The parliamentary leader of the Free Voters in the Landtag, Joachim Streit, stated: "After the Ahr flood, Malu Dreyer could no longer present herself as the mother of the state, and in the end, there was a lack of apologies and remorse for the mistakes that occurred before, during, and after the flood."
Heavy rainfall led to catastrophic flooding along rivers in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia in mid-July 2021. Many communities, particularly in the Ahr Valley, were devastated. Over 180 people died in total, hundreds were injured.
In the aftermath, Dreyer faced criticism. The focus was on her knowledge about the situation along the Ahr river and communication within the state government. She had to testify twice before the investigative committee of the state parliament about the flood disaster. The then Interior Minister Lewentz and the then State Environment Minister and later Federal Family Minister Anne Spiegel (Greens) stepped down after the disaster.
