A prominent voice within the Social Democratic Party (SPD) is openly questioning the party’s direction amidst flagging approval ratings and a surge in support for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD). Thuringia’s Interior Minister Georg Maier, in a candid assessment published in the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, has issued a stark call for introspection, arguing that the party has increasingly prioritized minority interests at the expense of broader societal concerns.
Maier’s critique centers on a perceived drift away from the SPD’s traditional focus on workers’ rights and economic security. He contends that the party’s emphasis on social welfare expansion and identity politics has obscured its commitment to creating and safeguarding stable, well-compensated jobs. “We need to mercilessly analyze our own mistakes” Maier stated, directly challenging the prevailing course within the party. He echoed a warning from former SPD politician Peer Steinbrück, highlighting the danger of assuming that aggregating the needs of minority groups automatically translates into majority support.
The minister’s remarks represent a rare and potentially divisive internal debate within the SPD, which has been struggling to reconnect with working-class voters disillusioned by economic anxieties and anxieties over immigration. Maier’s call to return to the party’s roots, specifically mentioning the need for a renewed focus on industrial policy, signals a desire to reposition the SPD as a champion of economic prosperity for all citizens.
Adding further fuel to the internal discord, Maier also delivered a pointed criticism of the decision by former Interior Minister Nancy Faeser to ban the far-right publication “Compact” in the summer of 2024. Arguing that the ban was a “hasty measure” he asserted that it inadvertently provided “Compact” with a platform and allowed it to propagate a narrative of government censorship and an attack on press freedom. This assessment has proven prescient, as the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig overturned the ban in the summer of 2025, citing concerns over freedom of expression and press freedom – a ruling that underscores the potential pitfalls of politically motivated restrictions on media.
Maier’s outspokenness signals a growing unease within the SPD regarding its current trajectory and suggests a potentially significant internal power struggle is brewing as the party attempts to regain lost ground and reassert its relevance in a rapidly shifting political landscape. The implications of his critique could reshape the party’s strategy and influence the broader political discourse in Germany.
