German Social Democrats nominate Bärbel Bas as parliament president

BERLIN — Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD), who won last month’s election, are set to nominate Bärbel Bas as president of the parliament. If confirmed, she would be only the third woman to hold the role.

The current leader of the SPD group in parliament, Rolf Mützenich, had seemed the most likely to get the job, which is technically (although not in reality) the second highest in the country — below the federal president and above the chancellor.

However, pressure had been mounting for the party to nominate a woman as Bundestag president, as the two most senior SPD politicians are both men — President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Olaf Scholz, who is almost certain to replace Angela Merkel as chancellor.

“The executive committee of the parliamentary group has … unanimously approved my proposal … namely [to nominate] Bärbel Bas as president of the parliament,” Mützenich said in a press conference Wednesday evening.

The SPD gets to propose a candidate for Bundestag president because the party will form the largest group in the new parliament when it convenes for the first time next Tuesday, bringing to an end the term of veteran conservative Wolfgang Schäuble, who has been in the role since 2017.

Mützenich said he was confident that the other parties in parliament won’t challenge his proposal to elect Bas.

Bas, 53, has been a member of parliament for Duisburg since 2009. Since 2019, she has been one of seven deputy leaders of the SPD parliamentary group.

“Bärbel Bas has a lot of parliamentary experience … but she has also remained down-to-earth, still rides her bike through Duisburg and is approachable,” said Thomas Kutschaty, leader of the SPD in North Rhine-Westphalia, Bas’ home state. “And that is exactly what makes a future president.”

If elected on Tuesday, Bas would be the third woman to hold the office — the others being Annemarie Renger (1972-1976) and Rita Süssmuth (1988-1998).