Outgoing Social Democrat leader Martin Schulz, who had last Friday surprised many by abandoning his ambition to become foreign minister, is set to hand over the leadership of the SPD on Tuesday to 47-year-old Andrea Nahles – the second-youngest person and first-ever woman in the 155-year history of the German centre-left. Schulz’s deputy Olaf Scholz – the Hamburg mayor who is slated to become finance minister in the new government – said he would become caretaker SPD chairman, and the party confirmed that it had recommended parliamentary floor leader Andrea Nahles as Schulz’s longer-term successor. Amid deep rank-and-file divisions over the coalition deal and the distribution of ministerial posts, and facing a slump in opinion polls, SPD leaders are trying to convince 464,000 party members to endorse the accord with Merkel in a ballot on which her fourth term depends. Schulz said after the deal was announced that he would step down following the members' vote - the results of which are due to be announced on March 4 - to take the job of foreign minister, but later dropped that plan amid controversy. The party leadership also nominated parliamentary caucus leader Andrea Nahles as its candidate for Schulz's permanent replacement, to stand in a vote at a special party congress on April 22.
Martin Schulz resigns as leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) with immediate effect. The mayor of Hamburg Olaf Scholz will serve as interim leader until a new leader is elected.