Germany's SPD elects first woman leader

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Andrea Nahles was on Sunday formally elected as the first female leader of Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) in the 155-year history of the party.

The SPD, back in coalition with Angela Merkel's CDU/CSU alliance, is trying to rebuild after disastrous results in the 2017 federal elections.

The 47-year-old Nahles was selected in February to replace Martin Schultz, who nominated Nahles as his replacement after being pressured to stand down following a U-turn on joining a coalition with Merkel.

CGTN Photo

Schultz ruled out a grand coalition after the disastrous election results in September, saying the party needed time to rebuild. He also insisted he would never serve as a minister under Merkel.

However, after hopes for a "Jamaica" coalition broke down, Schultz did a deal with Merkel and announced he planned to become foreign minister. This was met with outrage by the party, and the former head of the European Parliament stood down in favor of Nahles.

Then head of Germany's SPD Martin Schulz and then SPD parliamentary group leader Andrea Nahles on February 7, 2018, in Berlin. /VCG Photo

She helped shepherd through the coalition deal, with two-thirds of the SPD membership voting to return to government. The SPD took both the finance and foreign ministries under the deal.

On Sunday, the former labor minister's position at the head of the party was confirmed by delegates at a party conference.

She must now work to heal the rift exposed by the internal row over the coalition, with a vocal and active youth wing, the Jusos – which she once led – unhappy with the alliance with Merkel, and broaden the party's appeal after its worst ever election result.

It won just 20.5 percent of the vote in last September's poll, after spending four years as the junior partner in a grand coalition with the CDU/CSU.

Who is Andrea Nahles?

Nahles was born in Western Germany in 1970 and studied German literature, philosophy and political science at Bonn University.

She became leader of the Jusos, or young socialists, in 1995 and became general secretary of the SPD in 2009. She was appointed labor minister in Merkel's cabinet in 2013, and successfully implemented a minimum wage.

After the 2017 election, she was elected as the leader of the SPD's parliamentary group. Members of the SPD's new Bundestag group voted in her favor by 137 to 14. She was the first woman elected to the position.