Overview

• Bavaria’s Juso leader Benedict Lang has condemned the treatment of SPD co-chair Saskia Esken, describing it as 'untenable' and alleging gender bias within the party.
• Lang accused co-chair Lars Klingbeil of allowing internal criticism of Esken to persist unchecked, portraying him as prioritizing his own power consolidation.
• Key SPD figures, including Manuela Schwesig and Alexander Schweitzer, have publicly endorsed Klingbeil’s continued leadership, further isolating Esken within the party.
• The June 2025 leadership election will determine whether the SPD retains its dual-chair model or shifts toward Klingbeil as the sole leader.
• Klingbeil is increasingly viewed as the SPD’s dominant figure, with speculation about his potential role as finance minister in a future CDU-led cabinet under Friedrich Merz.