Germany General Secretary of the German Social Democrats resigns

Just over a year before the Bundestag elections in Germany, Kevin Kühnert is stepping down as General Secretary of the Social Democrats. The 35-year-old explained his decision in a letter to SPD party members and the public, citing health problems.

"I need the energy required for my office and an election campaign to get well again in the foreseeable future. That is why I am drawing the consequences," he wrote.

He has therefore informed party leaders Saskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil that he is stepping down as Secretary General today. He will also not be standing again as a member of parliament in the Bundestag elections. This means that the Berliner is withdrawing from politics for the time being.

"These decisions have cost me a lot of effort and they hurt me because I put my heart and soul into my political work," he explained. But he bears responsibility for himself and for the SPD. "By taking full care of my health now, I believe I am best able to fulfill my dual responsibility." The full commitment of the entire SPD is necessary for an election victory.

Kühnert has been General Secretary of the Social Democrats since 2021 and entered the Bundestag in the same year. Prior to that, he became known nationwide as the chairman of the youth organization Jusos - partly because he organized a campaign against a grand coalition between the Christian Democrats and the SPD. In 2019, he played a decisive role when Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans, both from the left of the party, came out on top of the SPD in the run-off election against current Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Klara Geywitz.

SDA