Petra Köpping: strongly nominated for SPD chair in Dresden!

Petra Köpping: strongly nominated for SPD chair in Dresden!

The Saxon SPD set an important switch for the future last weekend at the State Party Congress in Dresden. The 66-year-old Petra Köpping was unanimously nominated for the election as deputy federal chairman of the party. For Köpping, who is currently working as a Saxon Minister of State for Social Affairs and Social Cohesion, this is another step to be a strong voice for Saxony and East Germany.

Köpping wants to actively represent the interests of people from Saxony and is committed to dealing with equal handling within the party. Approaches with the East German federal states also ensure that each country sets a member for the party executive. The Federal Party Congress of the SPD, which takes place in Berlin from June 27th to 29th, will be decisive, since the election of the chairpersons and their deputies is also on the agenda.

Köppings political career

Petra Köpping looks back on a moving political career. In 1986 she joined the SED before moving to the SPD in 2002. In the following years she was deputy chair of the SPD Saxony from 2006 to 2016 and gained plenty of experience in municipal and state political offices. Among other things, she was the mayor of Großpösna and later district administrator of the Leipzig Land district.

A particularly formative event was the takeover of the office as the first Saxon Minister of State for Equality and Integration in 2014, a position that reflects its determination of promoting social justice and equal opportunities. "Integrate us first," is the title of her book from 2018, in which she deals with the challenges for people in East Germany.

The way to the state election 2024

Köpping also builds on the support of her party, which was confirmed in early December 2023 with a clear vote of 97 percent of delegates at the state party conference in Neukieritzsch. Her speech during the party congress made it clear how important contact with the citizens is. She emphasized that lies and populism are the real enemies of their political work.

• 94 yes, 2 no, 2 abstentions - that was the result for Köpping's nomination.
• She wants to present herself to the citizens entitled to vote and take their worries seriously.
• The focus of their political agenda are topics from “work to cohesion” that are based on the needs of the Saxons.

The coming months will show how Köpping can mobilize and implement their vision for Saxony and the SPD. The upcoming federal party conference will give her the opportunity to present her ideas on a larger platform. The Saxon SPD hopes that it will also receive a voice in the entire party with her candidacy as deputy federal chairman.

The events are exciting and it remains interesting to observe how the developments in Saxony and at the federal level will be.