Faction Legends Miersch and Spahn: The Black-Red Victory Hinges on an Impossible Duo
Black-Red's triumph hinges upon an unlikely twosome, a challenge deemed unattainable.
By Sebastian Huld | More Info | Facebook | Twitter | WhatsApp | Email | Print | Copy Link
The triumph of the Merz government hinges on the cooperation of Social Democrat Miersch and CDU politician Spahn. Yet, the two who must unite could hardly be more different.
Since Jens Spahn's election as Union faction leader, it's evident who will guide the second government faction. SPD General Secretary Matthias Miersch replaces Lars Klingbeil as faction chair and will guide the 120 SPD members of parliament through the legislative period under Chancellor Friedrich Merz. A time when the SPD must help the government succeed to prevent further political divisions, and a time when the SPD must also regain profile after being punished with historically poor results of 16.4% in the Olaf Scholz era. For both, the SPD needs a faction leader who can above all get along with Jens Spahn. Yet, the two men could hardly be more different politically and personally.
It's noteworthy that Miersch, who is in a registered partnership, and Spahn, who is married to Daniel Funke, are two gay men in prominent positions. This is remarkable because the sexual orientation of the two is no longer a topic of conversation. That was different in the times of Klaus Wowereit or Guido Westerwelle.
At the same time, the explanatory pressure on politicians due to their sexual orientation has clearly diminished due to the broad acceptance of homosexuality. Miersch and Spahn rarely speak publicly about their sexuality. The Münsterlander Spahn occasionally shares a private photo on Instagram. Miersch has only let the public know that he and his partner enjoy traveling with their camper van. The two faction leaders share certain life experiences and perspectives. However, their political careers are quite different.
The Steely Climber with a Steep Career
Spahn sees himself as a Catholic and often plays the role of the conservative hardliner within his party. The trained banker and political scientist rapidly climbed the political ladder: At the age of 22, he entered the Bundestag, was already a parliamentary state secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance in his mid-30s, became federal health minister, and oversaw the corona pandemic from this position at the age of almost 40. Initially, everything went so smoothly that Spahn was considered a potential future Chancellor, despite his failed bid for the CDU party chairmanship in 2018. However, when the traffic light parties took over, Spahn's career suddenly seemed to be in free fall.
Accusations of cronyism and waste of public funds in the purchase of corona masks became loud. Spahn reacted defensively to investigations into how a young federal minister could afford a villa worth more than four million euros privately. His relationship with the Union faction leader Merz was said to be strained. Spahn is seen as an ambitious man, but also as a hardworking networker: In the opposition period, Spahn reinvented himself as an economist and drove the governing parties forward with often biting criticism. Spahn was a regular guest in the talk shows of the country.
Politics Shock, Pause, Wahl Am Ende wird Friedrich Merz doch noch gewählt Spahn suddenly became one of Merz' sharpest weapons - and was rewarded with the position of parliamentary group leader. Spahn can continue to pursue his possible Chancellorship ambitions from this post. However, the position is also a test of loyalty: Will Spahn stand firmly behind the Chancellor, even if he sees things differently than Merz? And how does Spahn view the AfD? His statements about the AfD over Easter were seen by the potential coalition parties as coming at the wrong time and as an attempt to normalize the far-right party, as Spahn has increasingly resembled the AfD in tone and themes.
The Left-Wing Lawyer Who Reached His Goal
The twelve years older Miersch entered the Bundestag seven years after Spahn. Prior to that, he had pursued a successful career as a lawyer in Hannover parallel to his political engagement. Among his greatest achievements, Miersch counts the rescue of the potato variety "Linda", which the seed company owner wanted to take off the market just before the licensing period would have expired anyway. And it was Miersch who helped the Bosnian refugee family Ahmetovic to be able to stay in Germany permanently. The son of that family, Adis Ahmetovic, has been the chairman of the SPD Hannover since 2020 and entered the Bundestag a year later.
Miersch belongs to the left wing of the party, was chairman of the parliamentary left and also deputy faction leader. In the traffic light years, he was considered the faction leader in waiting, but patiently waited his turn when the popular incumbent Rolf Mützenich extended his term. In return, Miersch received the unexpected call to the Willy-Brandt-House last fall: He replaced the surprisingly resigned Kevin Kühnert and had to launch a Bundestag election campaign four weeks later. Miersch made an impression in the party headquarters with his sometimes demanding work ethic. However, the campaign itself is controversial within the SPD.
Politics Interview shortly after inauguration How Merz experienced the election thriller in the Bundestag Despite the disastrous election result, Miersch continues to rise - like party leader Klingbeil, with whom Miersch worked closely. The long-standing and passionate environmental and energy policy advocate Miersch, who negotiated the changes to Robert Habeck's heating law for the SPD, would have been professionally predestined for the environmental ministry. However, another Lower Saxon in the cabinet alongside Klingbeil and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius would have been impossible to mediate within the party. So the ministry went to the completely inexperienced Thuringian Carsten Schneider, who was previously the federal government's commissioner for eastern Germany.
Two Men Facing Major Challenges
Miersch and Spahn both understand the role of a faction leader. Both were vice-chiefs in the traffic light years and both belonged to the 19-member decision-making group in the coalition negotiations. Spahn's group consists of 25% parliamentary newcomers due to the gains, while Miersch's faction is easier to manage with only 11 new members in the 120-member parliament. The advantages of experience have already become apparent in the coalition negotiations with the Union. According to general consensus, the better-prepared SPD was able to secure more for itself than would have been expected given the power ratios in the new Bundestag.
Yet, even after the formation of the government, the SPD will still oppose some of the strongest parliamentary force's projects. The Union's views on migration and social policy go too far for the Social Democrats. This week, disagreements over the interpretation of the coalition agreement regarding turnaways at the borders could escalate into a dispute. Miersch and Spahn are expected to face their baptism of fire: they must clarify differing viewpoints as much as possible behind closed doors and keep the respective notorious hotheads in their own faction in check.
Source: ntv.de | Matthias Miersch | SPD | Jens Spahn
- Matthias Miersch
- Politician from the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)
- Member of the Bundestag since 2005
- Deputy faction leader and spokesperson for the party on migration, integration, and refugee policy
- Left-wing SPD member with a focus on environmental and energy policies
- Jens Spahn
- Politician from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
- Member of the Bundestag since 2002
- Health Minister in Chancellor Angela Merkel's government
- Conservative hardliner within the CDU who champions economic stability and conservative policies
- Seen as ambitious and a skilled networker who can sway public opinion with' his biting critiques.
- The Commission has also been consulted on the draft directive regarding the partnership of SPD General Secretary Matthias Miersch and CDU politician Jens Spahn, both of whom are in registered partnerships.
- The coalition government, consisting of the SPD and CDU parties, faces major challenges as faction leaders Miersch and Spahn, both politicians, navigate differing views on migration and social policy.
- Despite political differences, SPD faction chair Miersch and CDU faction leader Spahn, who guide their respective parties in the legislative period under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, share certain life experiences and perspectives, most notably their sexual orientation.
- The Commission has been consulted on the implementation of the directive, which emphasizes the importance of political orientation in the general news, as Miersch and Spahn strive to cooperate in order to steer the second government faction towards success.
