SPD leadership faces pressure for special party congress

The Migration and Diversity Working Group within the SPD is demanding an extraordinary federal party congress in autumn 2026 to restructure the party leadership. Group chairs Mehria Ashuftah and Orkan Özdemir argue that the current leadership, consisting of Bärbel Bas and Lars Klingbeil, has failed. They specifically criticize the dual role of the leaders, who hold both party chair positions and government offices.

The call for a special congress comes amid declining poll numbers and what the group describes as a “deep crisis of trust” between the SPD and the public. They suggest the party is no longer being perceived as a viable political option, a trend they deem “existential.”

While some party members, such as Thuringia's SPD leader Georg Maier, have dismissed the debate as “self-occupation,” internal pressure is mounting. Other regional branches, including those in Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia, have expressed dissatisfaction. SPD General Secretary Tim Klüssendorf has responded by promising a clearer profile on core issues like tax justice and pensions, despite the constraints of coalition politics.