Anger in Bavarian SPD - The SPD state leader of Brunn resigns as fraction leader
At the end, the pressure on Bavaria's SPD chief Florian von Brunn became too great: After many parts of the parliamentary faction withdrew their trust in him during a heated meeting, the 55-year-old no longer intends to run for the position of faction chairman.
"It is the democratic right of the faction to make such a decision. I accept that naturally. There's no need to question that," said von Brunn in a hastily arranged press conference in Munich in the afternoon. As for whether he will also give up his position as SPD state chairman, he has not decided yet. However, there should not be a lengthy delay in making a decision.
At the request of the faction majority, the new election of the faction executive board is scheduled for the coming Tuesday. Von Brunn assumes that not only the position of the chairman but also that of the deputies and the parliamentary business manager will be newly assigned. This is officially not yet confirmed.
A decisive vote of the parliamentary faction
On Wednesday, there was a decisive vote in the session of the Landtagsfraktion. Only four deputies supported the faction chairman, eleven deputies voted against him, thereby clearly withdrawing their trust. Two SPD deputies abstained.
"That is also a clear signal for me," said von Brunn about the vote. As to who could replace him as faction chairman, it was initially unclear. The former faction vice-chairman Holger Grieshammer announced that he would run, as he told the newspapers of the Bayern media group. He would do everything to "make the Bavarian SPD two-digit again," he said. He did not aim for the position of SPD state chairman.
Grieshammer is a painter and varnisher and only entered the Landtag last year. The SPD has belonged to him since 2000, and he was second mayor of the city of Weißenstadt from 2008 to 2020.
Background: Dispute over overtime for an employee
According to von Brunn, a dispute over a leading SPD faction member had erupted internally. The man reportedly paid himself several tens of thousands of euros for overtime. When the faction leadership wanted to take legal action against the employee, the deputies rallied behind him and eventually voted against von Brunn.
Von Brunn appealed to the future faction executive board to clarify the matter "completely and transparently" in the interest of the party - this included not only the necessary civil and criminal consequences but also an audit by the auditing office. The SPD could only make stable and sustainable politics if such allegations did not hang over it.
Many had already speculated about von Brunn's political future as state and faction chairman since the SPD suffered another heavy defeat in the state election last fall. With just 8.4 percent, the SPD, with him as the leading candidate, achieved a historically poor result - even worse than in 2018 (9.7 percent).
In the following, Brunnenhuber was able to hold on to his offices despite all the criticism against him personally. The SPD in Bavaria had to endure a painful defeat with 8.9 percent at the European election in early June.
Despite the serious crisis that the Bavarian SPD has been in for many years, the time for internal revolt comes as quite a surprise. From the faction, it is said that the relationship of the deputies to Brunnenhuber has deteriorated.
- Following the state election last fall, where the SPD in Bavaria achieved a historically poor result, the pressure on SPD state chairman Florian von Brunn increased significantly.
- The upcoming Tuesday will see a new election for the SPD's faction executive board in Bavaria, as requested by the majority of the parliamentary faction, which may lead to changes in various positions, including the chairman.
- In response to the vote of no confidence during the session of the landtagsfraktion, where only four deputies supported him, Florian von Brunn acknowledged that the clear withdrawal of trust was a significant signal, potentially paving the way for a new faction chairman in Bavaria.
