Chebli explains about her candidacy that she can achieve "important and right things" with her candidacy
Photo: Kay Nietfeld / dpaThe SPD State Secretary in the Senate Chancellery in Berlin, Sawsan Chebli, has announced that she will compete against her boss and Governing Mayor Michael Müller in the Berlin-Charlottenburg constituency. The Berlin local press had speculated about it for weeks. On Thursday evening, during a meeting of the party's district executive committee, Chebli said she was also aiming to run for candidacy in the constituency.
It is very unlikely that Chebli will win the candidacy. Their local association Ku'damm had nominated them unanimously, and the working group of social democratic women had indicated support according to the "Tagesspiegel". The "Tagesspiegel" reports further that many SPD members are annoyed by Chebli's "claim attitude". Müller had declared his candidacy in a letter earlier this week. Müller originally wanted to run in the constituency of Tempelhof-Wilmersdorf, but Juso chairman Kevin Kühnert is there.
Müller brought Chebli to the Red City Hall in 2016 as State Secretary for Civic Engagement. In a statement, according to the newspaper "Welt", Chebli said that after her stints in Berlin and previously as spokeswoman for the then Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, she felt well prepared for federal politics. "I am ready for federal politics," she said. (Read a portrait of the politician here).
On Twitter, she said that although she was said to have "hardly any chances", she had something "right and important" to offer. "I have no website, no Instagram, no power plan, no strategists to advise me, but an infinite number of people who support me and have encouraged me to go this way," she wrote.
According to the report of the "Tagesspiegel", Michael Müller got the most applause at the meeting of the SPD district executive. The party announced that the district executive had a "clear majority" behind Müller.
A few weeks ago Kühnert had also declared in the "Tagesspiegel" that he wanted to run for the constituency of Tempelhof-Schöneberg, which was actually intended for Müller. Thereupon Müller switched to Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf.
With Müller's announcement, the head of government put an end to speculation about his political future. It has long been known that he wants to give up the SPD state chairmanship. Family minister Franziska Giffey and SPD parliamentary group leader in the Berlin House of Representatives, Raed Saleh, are to take over this.
It is likely that Giffey will then be chosen as the SPD's top candidate for the House of Representatives election at the end of the year and thus fight for the office of governing mayor. Until the end of the legislature, however, Müller is likely to stay in the Rotes Rathaus.
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