Overview
- Nicola Böcker-Giannini and Martin Hikel will leave their state leadership posts at the end of the month after informing the executive board on Sunday.
- The acting state executive unanimously proposed lead candidate Steffen Krach as the next Berlin SPD chair.
- Media reports indicate a formal leadership vote could take place at a March party congress, with Krach currently serving as Region Hannover president.
- The resignations follow nomination reverses: Hikel received 68.5% in a Neukölln vote and said he will not run again in 2026, while Böcker-Giannini lost a bid for a prime Reinickendorf list spot but was nominated as a direct candidate in Reinickendorf 3.
- Polling places the Berlin SPD around 13–16% as it enters a leadership transition ahead of the 20 September 2026 Abgeordnetenhaus and district elections.