Juso CEO Kevin Kühnert is running for the board at the SPD federal party convention in early December. That said the 30-year-old of the "Süddeutsche Zeitung".
He said it was inconclusive for two years to be much criticized and demand changes in course, but the responsibility for others to leave, he told the newspaper. His decision on the candidacy applies both when Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans become party leaders, as well as in a victory for Klara Geywitz and Olaf Scholz.
In August Kuhnert had stated in a SPIEGEL interview that he would not apply for the SPD party chairmanship. As a reason, he said at the time, one should run "only with the clear conviction to want to be able to fill the office in case of success also with all consequence and to be able". For a top office in the SPD, he now feels called but apparently.
Kühnert, according to "Süddeutsche Zeitung", now also announced that he would become general secretary of the party, regardless of the constellation. Asked if he could imagine the post of deputy party leader, he said, "At least I would not rule that out, we do not have to go around the bush now, of course."
He sees a confrontation with a potential party leader Olaf Scholz, the vice-chancellor and finance minister, as his deputy not pull up: "Strength comes from allowing differences," said Kühnert.