Germany's center-left Social Democrats elect top three party leaders

Party delegates from Germany's center-left Social Democrats, the senior partner in the country's new coalition government, elected three top officials on Saturday just days after its candidate, Olaf Scholz, became Germany’s ninth post-World War II chancellor. The developments this week have opened a new era for the European Union’s most populous nation and largest economy after Angela Merkel’s 16-year tenure at its helm.

Scholz' government is composed of his center-left Social Democrats, the environmentalist Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats. Lars Klingbeil, 43, the former Social Democrats' secretary-general, was elected co-party leader at the mostly digital party convention with 86.3% of the vote, along with the 60-year-old party leader Saskia Esken, who got 76.7%, the German news agency dpa reported. It is not unusual in Germany to have parties led by co-leaders.

The former head of the party's youth wing, 32-year-old Kevin Kühnert, was elected with 77.8% as the party's new secretary-general, its third position. Esken was first elected as party leader two years ago when she led together with Norbert Walter-Borjans, who did not run again this time. At Saturday's convention, Scholz said the new term as chancellor aimed to "shape the twenties that now lie ahead of us."