The regional conference in Saarbrücken is just half an hour away, when the first big surprise comes: At the end of their performance, the two mayors Simone Lange and Alexander Ahrens withdraw their candidacy. They want to support another duo in the race for the party presidency in the future.
There were only 15. Of course, there are still quite a lot of candidates for the succession of Andrea Nahles, seven teams and a single applicant. And of course, the opening cast also went a bit chaotic. It was finally a premiere. And with so many people on a stage, who want to become the chairman of a 156-year-old party, a mess is probably hard to prevent. Nevertheless, the meeting in Saarbrücken left an impression above all: There is still life in the SPD.
For two and a half hours, the comrades discussed land rent, climate protection and tax policy. More than 700 visitors, certainly social democrats in particular, had come, much more than expected by the Saarland regional association. The chairs in the Congress Center were not enough, and the guests, who had to stand, stayed until the end.
The evening was like a hidden object. It was so busy that at times you did not know what to look for first. Olaf Scholz was accused of lack of credibility - the Vice Chancellor countered and defended himself as a "true, truly social democrat". The team Christina Kampmann and Michael Roth hugged twice for an answer. And the duo Karl Lauterbach and Nina Scheer? Secured the title as the most determined supporter of an exit from the grand coalition.
Overall, it was striking: The candidates were very fair to each other - and abided by the rules of the game. Almost a bit surprised, the moderator finally realized that everyone was paying attention to the timelines: five minutes of speaking time at the opening statement, one minute each at the answers in the second and third part.
"It all depends on my time"
Despite the casting situation, the candidates did not always take themselves and the format too seriously. She did not want to "steal the Boris time," said Saxony's Minister of Integration Petra Köpping, who starts with Boris Pistorius, the Lower Saxony Interior Minister. And Gesine Schwan asked the comrades to clap at the very end: "It all depends on my time."
Most questions from the audience went to the duo Norbert Walter-Borjans and Saskia Esken. They seem to have many supporters, especially among the Jusos, and from now on they also have the support of the detached Duo Lange / Ahrens. Like no other duo, the two fought for tax justice and more democracy, said Lange. That's why you play in the Esken / Walter-Borjans team in the future and ask "all who have strengthened us to this day to do so". Whether the former North Rhine-Westphalian Minister of Finance and the digital expert, however, automatically ascend into the circle of favorites, can not yet be estimated.
Even the often smiled duo Schwan / Stegner had good moments. The Schleswig-Holsteiner Ralf Stegner showed that such events lie to him. He got a lot of applause for his attacks on CDU and CSU as well as appeals to the inner-party solidarity.
Also Lauterbach and Scheer scored points - especially with attacks on the grand coalition. The SPD is not lacking in concepts, said Lauterbach: "We want the citizens' insurance, the inheritance tax, a policy against climate change." But the party has now gone into a coalition, which does not implement anything. Lauterbach's conclusion: "I do not think we can ever recover at GroKo."
Individual applicants brave, but probably no chance
It was not an easy evening for the two favorite duo Klara Geywitz / Scholz and Köpping / Pistorius. Although both teams performed routinely and received solid applause, but enthusiasm they did not trigger.
This also applied to the only individual applicant, Karl-Heinz Brunner. The Bavarian member of parliament was brave indeed. But how small his prospects might be, was revealed in the open Q & A: From the audience, not a single question to Brunner.
In the Willy Brandt House, in the SPD headquarters, the first regional conference is now being evaluated. There is not much time left. Already on Friday it goes on. Then the candidates introduce themselves in Hanover.
