Bayern's Social Democrats have elected a new dual leadership team in an effort to steer the party out of its prolonged crisis. The party's state conference selected incumbent chairwoman Ronja Endres and Bundestag member Sebastian Roloff to lead the struggling regional branch. Endres received 86 percent of votes in the routine election, while Roloff secured 74 percent support, with no opposing candidates standing against either.
The 42-year-old Roloff brings parliamentary experience to the role, having served as a member of the Bundestag since 2021 after entering parliament through the party list. Within the SPD parliamentary group, he serves as economic policy spokesperson and is considered part of the party's left wing. The Berlin native also holds membership in the SPD's federal executive board and previously worked for IG Metall union and as personnel manager at MAN Truck & Bus SE before entering politics full-time.
Endres, 39, maintains her position after first surprising many with her ascent to party leadership in 2021. The trained chemical laboratory technician from Penzberg near Lake Starnberg now resides in the Upper Palatinate region. Her previous tenure alongside state parliament member Florian von Brunn saw the party achieve a historically poor result of 8.4 percent in the last state election, with polling numbers failing to show significant recovery since.
The leadership reshuffle extended beyond the top positions, with delegates also electing two new general secretaries. Local politicians Kathrin Pollack and Uwe Kirschstein will join the executive team to help guide the party back on track. The conference in Landshut also featured a visit from federal SPD leader and Labor Minister Bärbel Bas, who used the platform to call for clearer positioning from CDU Chancellor Friedrich Merz on preserving industrial jobs, emphasizing both employment and security considerations.
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