SPD CHANCELLOR CANDIDATE SELECTION PROCESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BERLIN 001604 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/24/2017 TAGS: GM PGOV PREL SUBJECT: SPD CHANCELLOR CANDIDATE SELECTION PROCESS REF: BERLIN 1457 Classified By: Political M/C John Bauman for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: SPD Chairman Kurt Beck's low popularity rating, compared to those of other senior party figures, raises questions about who will likely be the SPD's chancellor candidate in 2009. The most likely outcome is that the SPD party chairman -- currently Kurt Beck -- will eventually be the party's chancellor candidate for the next federal elections scheduled for 2009. Historically, the party's selection process has favored the chairman, who has generally anointed himself, although deputy chairmen have at times stepped in when the chairman chose not to run. Beck and, to a lesser extent, future deputy chairmen Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck are thus best-positioned to become the SPD chancellor candidate, unlike those not in the party's inner circle, such as Berlin's popular Mayor Klaus Wowereit. Beck has recently stated that he would be the one to decide who will be the SPD chancellor candidate. End summary. Historical Trends in the Nominating Process -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The SPD's chancellor candidate will not be nominated until over one year from now. The purpose of this message is to describe the mechanism by which the candidate will be chosen and whom this mechanism favors. By understanding the process, it is easier to identify who is best positioned to become the party's chancellor candidate. There are typically no "primaries" or other voting processes. There is not even a prescribed procedure. Instead, the process has usually worked, and is expected to work in the future, as follows: ¶3. (U) Throughout the post-WWII period, the SPD chairman has typically had the right of first refusal over the party's chancellor candidacy. In effect, this has meant that the chairman has often declared himself the candidate. This declaration is usually made several months before the scheduled parliamentary elections. This candidate is then called the party's "leading candidate" ("chancellor candidate" is actually a misnomer, because there is no direct election for the chancellorship). The leading candidate is then formally nominated by the party -- without a vote -- at a party convention. ¶4. (U) On several exceptional occasions, the party chairman �A;did not become the leading candidate: Chairman Erich Ollenhauer deferred to Willy Brandt in 1961; Brandt deferred on three occasions to others in 1976, 1980, and 1983; Hans-Jochen Vogel deferred in 1990 to Oscar Lafontaine; and in 1998 Lafontaine deferred to Gerhard Schroeder. However, these instances were largely due to unique circumstances, such as scandal (which caused Brandt to step down as Chancellor in 1974) or very poor prospects (Lafontaine in 1998 had previously lost a bid for the chancellery). ¶5. (SBU) If the party chairman decides not to run as the leading candidate, s/he issues a recommendation to the party presidium, which then considers the recommendation and comes to a consensus. On only one occasion has a party-wide vote taken place to determine an alternative candidate -- in 1994 after chairman and leading candidate Bjorn Engholm stepped down amid scandal. On most of those occasions when the party chairman stepped aside, the eventual nominee came from the deputy chairman ranks -- an indication of the importance of being in the party's inner circle for those seeking the chancellorship nomination. Prior election success on the state level also seems to be a major factor in choosing a candidate when the chairman steps aside, such as in 1998 after Schroeder's electoral victory in Lower Saxony. Kurt Beck's Prospects -------------- ¶6. (C) If history is any indication, and Beck is chairman of the SPD in early 2009, he would most likely be the chancellor candidate. Indeed, Beck has stated that no candidate will be nominated "until (he) the chairman decides to make a recommendation at the appropriate time" and that the decision is his alone to make. It is conceivable that he could step aside in favor of someone more popular, if faced with the likely prospect of a resounding defeat. In a hypothetical direct election for chancellor, current polls show that Beck is currently about 35 to 40 points behind Merkel and indicate that more SPD members would vote for Angela Merkel (CDU) than for Beck. Despite Beck's low popularity, it is nevertheless not out of the question that he could make up ground in the polls. When Schroeder was chancellor, Merkel once trailed him by about 50 points, so catching up is not unprecedented. BERLIN 00001604 002 OF 002 Moreover, the SPD is carefully considering its platform for issues that resonate. Globalization, the minimum wage, and opposition to domestic security proposals recently made by CDU Interior Minister Schaeuble are examples of issues that could potentially favor the SPD. If Merkel and the CDU commit a major gaffe or if external developments shift the electorate's focus, Beck could be the beneficiary. Frank-Walter Steinmeier's Prospects -------------- ¶7. (C) Steinmeier is the most popular SPD politician and the second most popular overall, trailing only Merkel. In order to build his party credentials, he will likely be elected as one of three deputy party chairmen later this fall and run for (and almost certainly win) a federal parliament seat from Brandenburg City in 2009. The foreign minister has increasingly spoken out on domestic issues, a sign that he wants to become more involved in domestic politics, in line with his rising stature within the SPD. Some pundits, however, believe that Steinmeier's rise in the party does not mean he is being groomed to replace Beck, but simply that the party wants to bolster its lineup of highly regarded elders. He has been careful not to demean Beck -- with regularity, he emphasizes his support for Beck for the chancellorship. Nevertheless, by virtue of his future deputy chairmanship, he will be well-positioned for the candidacy if Beck decides not to run. The big question hanging over his candidacy is his total lack of prior success at the polls -- indeed, he has never stood for elective office. Steinbrueck and Wowereit -------------- ¶8. (C) Steinbrueck, who will also likely become deputy chairman this fall, ranks as the country's third most-popular politician, but is perhaps too associated with the centrist reform program Agenda 2010 to be favored by the party's leftists. Wowereit's good performance in recent opinion polls may reflect disquiet within the SPD about the party's and Beck's standing. It also suggests that he might be a charismatic alternative candidate. Because he does not occupy a position in the party leadership, however, Wowereit is not well-positioned within the party. He is not among those being groomed for the three deputy chairman positions (the other person is parliamentarian Andrea Nahles). Unless the party is in severe crisis or decides that it must align with The Left party (an unlikely prospect as we note in reftel),Wowereit will have a difficult and uncertain path to the chancellorship candidacy. ¶9. (C) SPD sources (including strategists Stefan Ramge and Volker Meier) confirm to us that the candidate will be recommended by the party chairman, as is the tradition. They add that there is currently no movement underway to displace Beck, and despite his low poll ratings, they believe he will eventually choose himself as the candidate. KOENIG