Content

Page 1 — gambled

Page 2 — Nahles ' Choice is endangered

Read on a page

It is true that Andrea Nahles does not take over SPD chairmanship for time being. Party Presidium and Board of Directors decided that this should only be done after proper election at party congress in April. Just as it is formal. Until n, Olaf Scholz will lead party as a Commissioner. The mayor of Hamburg was only reelected in December as deputy chairman of party, Martin Schulz, and thus entitled, according to SPD statute, to take over if boss fails. And Schulz also officially resigned from his office on Tuesday evening.

Everything good in SPD? Certainly. Nahles actually wanted to take over SPD presidency today. She had to stop her project at last minute. But members would not have been able to convey anything but partial withdrawal. For second time in just one week, SPD has committed a major strategic error. The once-proud people's party must be careful not to become a general mockery.

Feeling lost for party

Both times party leadership misjudged intra-partisan crowd situation. At first she believed that Schulz's change into foreign would only heat up minds at beginning. Then, as Schulz gave up ministerial Dream and party chairmanship because of ever-increasing resistance on Friday, party leader thought that Nahles could already fill created vacuum of power.

Legal and moral reasons. And again, Berlin SPD leadership did not first listen to swelling criticism. With representatives from national associations, with opponents of grand coalition and finally also with party jurists, displeasure had to take on such a huge scale that one could no longer ignore it.

SPD-Andrea Nahles to take over party presidency Martin Schulz has resigned from Office of party chairman, which is an important step towards an "organisational, personnel and programmatic renewal" of SPD. The party leader, however, nominated Andrea Nahles for presidency. © Photo: Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters

The provisional takeover of party presidency by a Bundestag group leader such as Nahles is not foreseen in Statute – if SPD boss fails or throws, only his six deputies can be used. It was also case when Frank-Walter Steinmeier led presidency for a short time after Kurt Beck's resignation and as Johannes Rau 1993 Engholm party temporarily after withdrawal of Björn Se2008.

Nahles ' plan was refore subject to statutory law. They also pointed out several lawyers. At latest with announcement of Flensburg Mayor Simone Lange on Monday evening to run against Nahles in election to SPD chief, idea of a premature office handover was n no longer to hold. Nahles cannot take over duties of a party chairman if re is anor Anwärtin on post – even if re are still so few long opportunities. That would be final after ruler-Allure.

Date Of Update: 14 February 2018, 12:03