Andrea Nahles new chairman German SPD

berlin - The SPD in Germany has chosen Andrea Nahles as the new chairman. It is the first time in the nearly 155-year history of the Social Democrats that a woman is in charge.

At the vote in Wiesbaden, the 47-year-old Nahles was supported by 66.35 percent of voters. She is the successor to Martin Schulz. He stepped up in February under pressure from the party management. In the September elections, the SPD under the leadership of Schulz suffered a major defeat.

In the German media Nahles is already described as the 'Trümmerfrau'. That means the woman who has to clean up the mess inside the SPD that came into existence under the leadership of Schultz. For a long time she was known as a representative of the left wing of the party, but in recent years she has moved up to the political center and chooses a more pragmatic course.

She became leader of the SPD in the German Bundestag after the elections last year and played an important role in the negotiations for participation in a 'Big coalition' with the CDU of Chancellor Angela Merkel. The party members agreed to renewed accession to the German government in March this year after a long debate.

Nahles joined the SPD in 1988 and in 1989 established a local branch of the party in her home town of Weiler. In the third cabinet of Merkel (2013-2017) she was the Minister of Labor Affairs in Germany on behalf of her party.

Invalid email address. Please fill in again.

Unsubscribe with 1 click