Saskia Esken, the former SPD leader, has accused her party of unfairly treating women holding leadership positions. Esken revealed on the podcast “Amann unframed” from the Funke media group that after the 2025 Bundestagswahl (Federal Election), there emerged significant public and internal pressure to hold her responsible for the election outcome. She stated that this pressure seemed aimed at ending her career, while sparing the SPD co-chief, Lars Klingbeil, from similar consequences.
She explained that although she always saw herself on equal footing with Klingbeil within the party, external relations had consistently proven challenging. Furthermore, she pointed out that she was the only woman serving on the small internal circle responsible for campaigning for Olaf Scholz’s (SPD) presidential candidacy.
Escalen’s critique extended to the party’s past practices. She asserted that the SPD had previously mishandled predecessors and noted that the “soul of the party” suffered significantly from the way Andrea Nahles was destroyed in leadership. She argued that structural safeguards must be implemented before a woman is under intense fire, not merely once the attack has occurred. She urges the SPD to learn from its history, adding: “We will not let another woman in our leadership be destroyed.”
The SPD finished the February 2025 Federal Election with 16.4% of the vote. Following this result, Esken did not stand for re-election as party chair in June 2025. The party is currently initiating a new leadership rotation after Bärbel Bas’s resignation. Currently, Klingbeil serves as party chief, Vice Chancellor, and Finance Minister.
