On the evening of the February 23 elections, the future of the leaders of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) seemed uncertain. The historic defeat of the training (16.4 % of the votes) was not only that of Olaf Scholz, the outgoing chancellor, but also that of his co -presidents since 2021, Lars Klingbeil and Saskia Esken. Seven weeks later, however, the two leaders here again alongside Friedrich Merz, Wednesday April 9, triumphantly presenting the new coalition contract which links their party to the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), winner of the ballot. With great prospects for at least one of the two: Lars Klingbeil, who celebrated his 47th birthday on elections, should in all probability become vice-chancellor and finance minister, an almost as influential position, in Germany, as that of Chancellor. “A large part of what is provided for in the coalition agreement is subject to financing”he anticipated on Wednesday, adding that the future of Germany was at stake. His too, without any doubt.
In the space of a few weeks, Lars Klingbeil eclipsed Boris Pistorius, the Minister of Defense, considered as a potential competitor of Olaf Scholz at the start of the campaign, and who regularly breaks popularity records. The elections were the springboard allowing Lars Klingbeil to consolidate his grip on the party. The same evening of the ballot, he thus secured his appointment to the presidency of the parliamentary group of the SPD to the Bundestag, a function which he now combines with the presidency of the party.
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Source: Lemonde