A year ago today: SPD elects Klingbeil and Bas as new leadership duo after election debacle
Exactly one year ago, on 27 June 2025, the German Social Democrats chose Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil and Labour Minister Bärbel Bas to lead the party, four months after a disastrous federal election result.
The vote
On 27 June 2025, the SPD convened a special party congress in Berlin to select a new leadership tandem. Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil received just under 65 percent of the delegate votes, while Labour Minister Bärbel Bas secured 95 percent. The outcome formalised the pair's role at the head of a party still reeling from its performance in the Bundestag election four months earlier.
- Lars Klingbeil
- 65 %
- Bärbel Bas
- 95 %
Context
Both leaders were already prominent figures in the federal government. Klingbeil had served as Vice-Chancellor and was seen as the continuity candidate, while Bas, as Labour Minister, drew on broad support from the party's trade-union base. The election came after the SPD's Bundestag result, described as a "Debakel" by the calendar-sheet sources, which forced a renewal of the party's top leadership.
Legacy
One year on, the leadership change is being noted in today's "Kalenderblatt" features across German media. The anniversary serves as a reminder of the internal party reckoning that followed the national election defeat.
