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SPD ruling mayor and head of state Michael Müller won the party’s internal race for the Bundestag constituency in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf.
In a membership poll in the district association, which began on October 17 and was counted on Wednesday, it received 58.4 percent of the vote. For competitor Sawsan Chebli, Secretary of State of the Senate Chancellery, 40.2 percent of the participating comrades in the district association, which has about 2,500 members, voted. Participation in the member survey, which was conducted online and by mail, was very high at 59.2 percent.
Within the game, Müller had more chances before the basic poll. Noting that Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf had also been his political home for years, Chebli challenged the friend of the party and head of government. This attracted national attention.
Müller will face a weakened competitor next year in the fight for the direct mandate at City-West. The member of the CDU of the Bundestag, Klaus-Dieter Gröhler, who won the constituency twice, was nominated again by his own district association for very little. It wasn’t until the second ballot that Gröhler prevailed in a surprising candidate for a fight against former FDP head of state Martin Lindner.
Will Müller also get No. 1 on the SPD state list?
The result of the basic poll in the SPD Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district association should also see Müller strengthened in his expectation that the Berlin SPD will take first place on the Bundestag’s state list in December.
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But it is not a sure success. Party vice president Kevin Kühnert can also run for the top spot. Also, in view of the second crown wave, it is currently open whether the SPD state party conference planned for December 19 can take place. There, the state list will be drawn up by a representative assembly of the state, to then select the federal Minister of the Family, Franziska Giffey, as the main candidate for the elections to the House of Representatives.
SPD party conference on Saturday on the brink
However, before that, the SPD wants to meet this Saturday to choose a new party leadership: the duo Franziska Giffey and Raed Saleh will follow President Michael Müller. After the federal and state governments agreed on Wednesday to restrict far-reaching public and social life starting Monday, this party congress is on the brink.
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“In view of the current state of affairs, we will treat our state party congress critically,” Müller told a press conference with Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU). The Berlin SPD director wanted to consult his board that evening, as he announced. Therefore, the party leadership must quickly discuss “whether and how the state party conference can be held.”
At the same time, Müller pointed out that political life could not be idle, parliaments would also meet with several hundred participants, with due security precautions. At the same time, the ruling mayor also raised the possibility of a party digital conference.
Hygiene concept of the regional association “thought to the last detail”
“I think our electoral party convention will take place on Saturday,” SPD deputy head of state Iris Spranger told Tagesspiegel that afternoon. The hygiene concept of the state association is “thought out to the last detail”, the room at the Neukölln Hotel Estrel offers 4700 square meters of space for 880 people even in crown conditions. The state party congress only had a good 300 participants, mainly delegates and reporters.
Guests, including alternate delegates or candidates who do not have delegate status, are not allowed. They are connected by video or telephone. With a Senate resolution Tuesday, the upper limit for indoor events was lowered to 300 people. Unless there is an approved hygiene concept.
Other state SPD associations are also examining digital formats
According to the SPD party headquarters in Weddinger Müllerstrasse, the responsible health department has already approved the concept presented by the regional association. Party events are excluded from crown restrictions anyway. Vice President Spranger also pointed out that further tightening of hygiene standards would not affect this party congress, at least in terms of time.
Other state SPD associations have already canceled their state party conferences or are examining digital formats, including board elections via decentralized voting. In Berlin, on the other hand, the majority of the SPD state executive decided on Monday night to hold the party congress, even if the party base and among the delegates doubt that this is the right decision.
