Scholz’ SPD to appoint new general secretary following resignation

For the foreseeable future, I need to use the energy that would be necessary for my office and an election campaign to recover

 

By Theresa Münch, dpa I Tuesday, October 08, 2024

 

MUNICH – The general secretary of Germany’s governing Social Democrats (SPD), Kevin Kühnert, announced his resignation on Monday, citing health issues.

The 35-year-old politician shared his decision to step down in a letter to party members and the public, adding that he would also not run as a member of parliament in the national election next year.

“For the foreseeable future, I need to use the energy that would be necessary for my office and an election campaign to recover,” Kühnert said, adding that the decision hurt him because he put his “heart and soul into [his] political work.”

The SPD is the party of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who governs in a coalition with the Greens and the liberal Free Democrats.

Following his announcement, the SPD leadership said it intends to appoint Kühnert’s successor as soon as possible. Party co-chairs Saskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil said they would issue invitations to committee meetings as early as Monday night to propose candidates to succeed Kühnert.

“We are prepared,” said Esken, adding that she wishes her SPD colleague “the necessary rest so that he can get well again.”

Klingbeil said that Kühnert’s decision deserves the greatest respect and that he had played a decisive role in ensuring stability in the SPD and contributing to the party’s further development, but that “politics is not everything.”

Kühnert has been general secretary of Scholz’s party since 2021, when he was also elected as a member of the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament. Before that, he became well known as the chairman of the SPD’s youth organization, the Young Socialists.

One year ahead of the national election on September 28, 2025, the SPD is facing a slew of problems, including internal bickering in the coalition and recent far-right gains in regional elections.

In his letter on Monday, Kühnert said another election victory for the SPD would require the full commitment of the entire party.

Klingbeil said that the party would now focus on looking ahead. “We are one year away from the federal election. We want to win this election campaign.”