SPD politicians are calling for a course correction in pension reform after the election in Saxony-Anhalt

Alexander Schweitzer, deputy federal chairman of the SPD, called for changes to the federal government's reform course after the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt. The federal government had “no small share” in the outcome of the election, Schweitzer said on Deutschlandfunk. Rather, federal political issues were "possibly leading" in the voting decisions of many people in Saxony-Anhalt. With regard to the pension reform planned by the Union and the SPD in the federal government, he says that it is “absolutely clear that this reform must be discussed.”

Schweitzer demanded that the pension commission's proposals have to be put on the table again - and not just because of the election in Saxony-Anhalt. “We have to think about it, especially about the question of what is appropriate for performance.” The pension must be “clear and secure”; However, the current proposals would mean that people would receive less of what they had previously earned. “Such proposals must not receive support from the SPD,” said the former Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate.

However, the main problem does not lie with the SPD. The “real debate” is what the CDU “did this summer,” said Schweitzer. Chancellor and CDU leader Friedrich Merz offended many people during the reform debates with "some clumsy but not unintentional statements."

The parliamentary managing director of the SPD, Dirk Wiese, made similar comments. With his rhetoric, the Chancellor gave the impression that he thinks people who work are "lazy," said Wiese in the ARD morning magazine. This “contributes to great uncertainty.”

In view of the election results in Saxony-Anhalt, Wiese also sees a need for action on the social reforms initiated by the federal government. Questions such as pensions or care are of great concern to people, said the SPD politician. “We have to take this up and, as the federal government, find answers that address people’s everyday lives.” When it comes to pensions, people who have done hard work need to be given special support; in care, the people who care for relatives at home.