Steffen Krach, the leading SPD candidate from Berlin, believes that adjusting the pension reform is feasible in collaboration with the CDU. He told the news station “Welt” that the core issue isn’t the SPD obstructing the process, but rather that the public has come to interpret reforms solely as cuts, a trend that ultimately strengthens the AfD. To counteract this, he argues that a “social turn” is necessary.
Krach emphasized, “This is not about obstruction; it is about acknowledging that 80 percent of Germans feel the reform package is socially imbalanced. That is why we need to discuss the pension package again.” He proposed that anyone who works hard for 45 years should be able to retire without deductions in the future. Similarly, those who have worked hard but require a slight increase in their housing benefit should be supported. Furthermore, he strongly criticized the proposal to cut the housing benefit by 1.5 billion euros, stating that this type of reform has created a feeling of injustice across the country, leading directly to the kind of election results seen on Sunday.
Krach expressed confidence that the electoral result in Saxony-Anhalt would convince the CDU that reforms require improvement. “Herr Merz must have an interest [in this]. He cannot simply continue after that disaster on Sunday,” Krach asserted, noting that the CDU had lost more than half its support. He stressed that it would be a significant mistake to proceed as planned, as the public sentiment was a clear signal.
“This isn’t limited to Saxony-Anhalt. We see this nationwide in polls, in the evaluation of the reform package, and of other ongoing reforms. Most people currently associate reforms with mere cuts. This is a problem,” he explained.
According to Krach, there are “many people who are simply dissatisfied with the SPD, but also with the CDU, the Greens, the Left, the FDP-and these people are gravitating toward the AfD.” Given this feeling of injustice, he maintained that incremental changes alone are insufficient. While the sense of injustice cannot be resolved instantly, a movement toward a “social turn” is essential. He is committed to building a strong SPD that achieves this social turn by introducing reforms that give people the feeling that society in the country is progressing justly. He concluded that if this sentiment is not regained, “the AfD will continue to be successful.”
