SPD women demand female labor minister, reject Alexander Schweitzer nomination
The SPD women's working group opposed the appointment of Alexander Schweitzer as Federal Labor Minister, insisting a woman should fill the vacancy left by Bärbel Bas.
Bärbel Bas's departure created a vacancy for the Federal Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, and SPD chairman and vice-chancellor Lars Klingbeil selected former Rhineland-Palatinate premier Alexander Schweitzer as her replacement. Chancellor Friedrich Merz intends to formally nominate Schweitzer to the federal president on Monday, in line with coalition arrangements. The SPD women's working group, led by Ulrike Häfner and Carmen Wegge, publicly rejected the choice, arguing that a woman should be appointed to honor the party's gender-quota commitments and noting the availability of qualified female candidates with federal experience.
They warned that appointing a man contradicts the party's stance on gender representation. Currently, the SPD cabinet comprises four women and three men; Schweitzer's appointment would flip the ratio but keep it evenly split. A similar dispute occurred in the previous legislative period after Christine Lambrecht left, when Boris Pistorius's appointment shifted the gender balance in favor of men.
Why it matters
The dispute could strain the SPD-CDU coalition and affect future gender-balance policies in the German cabinet.
How this story developed
- Oct 12 Bärbel Bas steps down as Germany's labor minister and SPD co-chair
- Oct 12 SPD will elect new leadership at its year‑end congress.
In this story
Related stories
13 in this thread