The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) convened a federal party congress in Berlin to address its poor performance in the recent Bundestag elections. At the congress, Lars Klingbeil was re-elected as SPD co-chair with 64.9% of the delegate votes, a historically low result that reflects internal criticism and weak public support. Bärbel Bas was elected as the new co-chair with 95% of the votes, replacing Saskia Esken. Bas, the German Minister of Labor, is expected to help heal party divisions and restore influence, particularly for the North Rhine-Westphalia SPD. Klingbeil acknowledged mistakes in his speech and faces questions about his authority within the party and the federal coalition government. The SPD remains in a polling low, and Klingbeil's weakened position may complicate the coalition dynamics with Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU/CSU bloc. In parallel, the governing CDU/CSU-SPD coalition is embroiled in a dispute over the promised reduction of the electricity tax for consumers. Despite a coalition agreement to lower the tax for all households, the recent coalition committee meeting ended without a decision to extend the tax cut broadly. The government cited fiscal constraints and the need for budgetary prudence amid high national debt. Chancellor Merz defended the decision, but the outcome has sparked criticism from social and economic groups, opposition parties, and some coalition members. The SPD and CDU/CSU have reportedly taken reversed roles in the debate, with the SPD advocating fiscal restraint and the Union pushing for wider relief. The delay in implementing the electricity tax reduction is seen as a broken campaign promise, contributing to growing distrust in the coalition and increasing political tensions ahead of future elections.