The SPD man Lars Kling: Cold chutzpah

It is part of the political ritual that defeats must be followed by resignations. Seldom has a party emerged from a lost election as quietly and smoothly as the SPD leadership did after February 23. The party leadership, Lars Klingbeil and Saskia Esken, simply sits there as if nothing had happened. They had let the debate run its course during the candidate selection and, without wanting the alternative of Boris Pistorius, watched Olaf Scholz being dismantled .

This lack of leadership has now, surprisingly, led to a career jump for Klingbeil, who has been promoted to dual head of the party and parliamentary group. The generational change in the SPD that Klingbeil is calling for is probably primarily aimed at himself. The cold chutzpah of this maneuver is reminiscent of Frank-Walter Steinmeier in 2009, who, after spectacularly losing the election, simply declared himself the new parliamentary group leader. The SPD left watched in amazement and surprise.

The SPD right has always been better at internal power games. Klingbeil is also a good networker. The new power structure of the SPD is therefore foreseeable: Klingbeil and Pistorius form the decision-making center, Esken can stay, somehow left-wing and without influence, as long as she does not cause any disruption. The post-traffic light social democracy thus resembles a regional party from Lower Saxony. There has never been so much Osnabrück and Soltau. And General Secretary Mathias Miersch comes from Hanover.

In terms of currents, the federal SPD is clearly tilting to the right. Klingbeil is the son of a soldier, Pistorius, as defense minister, is a friend of rearmament and clear speech. Rolf Mützenich - the clever, prudent, muted left-wing and military-skeptical parliamentary group leader - has to go. The SPD is thus making itself look good for the upcoming coalition with the Union . From the back rows and from the Jusos, one can still hear isolated calls not to reach an agreement with the Union too quickly and too cheaply. They will die down.