BERLIN — Germany’s Labor and Social Affairs Minister Bärbel Bas is expected to take over as co-leader of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), POLITICO has learned from party insiders.
The decision comes just days after Germany’s new government — a coalition between Friedrich Merz’s conservative bloc and the SPD — was sworn in. Bas would lead the SPD alongside Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, replacing outgoing co-chair Saskia Esken.
Bas, 56, is a highly respected figure across the political spectrum. She recently took on the role of labor minister and previously served as president of the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, where she earned rare praise across party lines for her fairness and institutional savvy.
Born in the industrial city of Duisburg in western Germany and raised in a working-class family, Bas spent decades in union and local politics before entering the federal parliament in 2009. Known for her low-key style and deep ties to organized labor, she is expected to focus on rebuilding the SPD’s connection with its traditional working-class voter base — particularly in a time of rising economic anxiety.
The SPD, once Germany’s dominant political force, slumped to just 16 percent in the country’s February election — finishing third behind the conservatives and the far-right Alternative for Germany.
In the new coalition, Bas will now face the challenge of keeping her party’s influence within the conservative-led government under Merz.
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