New SPD general secretary: can Kevin Kühnert do that?

Kevin Kühnert’s story is one of the greatest social democratic success stories in recent years. But for a long time its success was not linked to the success of the SPD itself – on the contrary. If the SPD is in a brilliant position today, one has to say: despite Kühnert. Kühnert has always had its own agenda. He is a political believer. You can appreciate that about him. But it wasn’t always good for the party, for example when it had to compromise.

Kevin Kühnert is now to be elected Secretary General in a week. It’s a fast-paced and amazing career. On Friday the SPD presidium and the board unanimously nominated him for the post. It wasn’t imperative that they do that. First, they have strengthened the ranks of men in the men’s party SPD. For the soon-to-be Chancellor Olaf Scholz, this increases the pressure to present a cabinet with equal representation.

And secondly, Kühnert has a special talent, he can cast a spell over the hall with a speech. He thinks strategically and doesn’t take a step carelessly. He proved his organizational but also divisive potential in the campaign against the grand coalition. That was just four years ago. Even if his no-groko campaign was unsuccessful, he continued to rise in the party. For others, that makes it all the more dangerous.

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That only became apparent a few days ago. Kühnert and the designated Chancellor Scholz appeared at the Juso Federal Congress. In the morning, Scholz had to listen to a lot of criticism from the Young Socialists, not a word of congratulations. He, Scholz, had to deliver now, and was only allowed to give the FDP as little space as necessary in the traffic light coalition, that was the tenor. Kühnert gave him some food when he spoke to the Jusos a few hours later. Because of the FDP, many things, for example in the area of ​​building and housing, for which Kühnert is responsible, could not be enforced in the coalition agreement. And one must be able to say that in four years’ time one would like to rule in a different alliance.

Kühnert must now become a party manager

So why does this man want to become Secretary General of all people? Because whoever holds this post must first and foremost serve the party. The general secretary is a manager. He is responsible for the election campaigns, for example. For this reason alone, he has to be very close to the candidate, in this case to the Chancellor. General secretaries must be loyal. He and the party leadership must be able to trust each other. Kühnert was loyal in the election campaign when the decision was made on Scholz. But in future he will have to defend the Chancellor’s policy against attacks by the Union, for example. Will he always want that?

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Kühnert will not have any technical problems filling out the post. But then it will be expected of him that he will no longer cut into the coalition partner FDP, but rather the Union in the opposition. It is questionable whether this will work in the long term. At least he will not be able to continue playing his role as a party rebel.

Does Kühnert have to be good now?

So was it really a brilliant move by the party establishment to put a new costume on Kühnert? Have you grabbed him with career awareness and vanity and thus obliged to be good? After all, there are also strong people who will face him: the Chancellor and the new party chairman Lars Klingbeil.

People like Kühnert can of course also be bridge builders. After all, who could sell traffic light compromises to a critical base better than Kevin Kühnert, whom we know that he doesn’t skimp on criticism – but still supports Scholz?

You have already asked yourself whether Kühnert could do well now. That was when he was promoted to deputy party chairman. Also there it was said: He now belongs to the party establishment and has to join the ranks. According to all that can be heard, Kühnert worked constructively on the party executive committee, he is described by everyone as a personally pleasant interlocutor who argues about the matter. But then there is an appearance like the one with the Jusos.

Kühnert will know what expectations and difficulties he will face with his new position. It has to be shown how he wants to – and can – fulfill his role. Will the persuasive politician really be able to swallow all anger about the FDP? Kühnert’s word will now carry even more weight. It has explosive potential.