Overview
- Co‑chair Bärbel Bas resigned on October 12, leaving the SPD with a sudden vacancy at the top and triggering plans for a full leadership vote at the party congress in Bremen.
- Juso federal chair Philipp Türmer publicly said on Saturday that Klingbeil should not run again while he remains finance minister and vice‑chancellor, calling for both personnel change and firmer redistribution policies.
- Lars Klingbeil has scheduled a full leadership renewal for the January 16–17, 2027 congress and says he will first consult the party board before deciding whether to stand.
- Former labour minister Hubertus Heil has signalled he could run and Manuela Schwesig has not ruled out a bid, while some senior figures such as Matthias Miersch and Boris Pistorius have already voiced support for Klingbeil.
- The dispute sets up a choice between keeping a government‑connected chair or shifting to a left‑leaning, work‑and‑redistribution focus, and the party must organize competing slates quickly under its norm of a gender‑balanced dual leadership.