German politics can often appear to move at a glacial pace, making the speed in which the next leader of the Social Democrats was picked particularly remarkable. The bombshell that that Franz Müntefering would not be standing for re-election as SPD chairman after he suffered defeat in an internal power struggle was met with sheer panic by much of the party on Monday. However, by Tuesday evening a replacement had been found in the form of Matthias Platzeck -- the premier of the eastern state of Brandenburg. His candidacy will be voted on at the SPD's party conference in Karlsruhe in the middle of November.

The crisis was sparked when Müntefering announced that he would step down after his choice of secretary general candidate was not backed by the party. The choice of the outspoken leftist Andrea Nahles amounted to a rebellion against Müntefering's centrist policies, leaving him little choice, as he saw it, but to leave.

Politicians across the political spectrum made a rare show of unity on Wednesday by welcoming the decision to replace him with Platzeck -- evidently aware that an SPD without a leader would make building a governing coalition, with the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) especially difficult. The SPD rank and file are simply relieved to have someone seen as a safe pair of hands at the helm and are happy that the 51-year-old Platzeck could help rejuvenate the party moving beyond the current parliament.

CDU politicians have been particularly positive, saying that Platzeck would be a stabilizing influence in Berlin (hardly difficult given how unstable things are right now) which should bode well for a future coalition. They have also expressed support for him as someone who is not ideologue and doesn't belong to the SPD's left-wing. Platzeck current leads his own so-called grand coalition with the conservatives in Brandenburg.

Red, green and a bit of conservative

Platzeck has described his political leanings as somewhere between SPD and Green, with conservative traits -- thus covering all the bases politically. He somehow manages credibly to profess loyalty to social democratic beliefs while at the same time calling for welfare reform. And the fact that he currently heads a successful grand coalition proves he is able to work with politicians of varying political hues. Experience which could stand him in good stead during coalition negotiations and government with other parties.

Relief that Platzeck has accepted the nomination is palpable in Berlin -- especially since most German politicians these days appear desperate to give up their posts and flee from responsibility. From Müntefering on Monday to the designated economy minister Edmund Stoiber, who said on Tuesday he would remain premier in the state of Bavaria, it appears that few want to deal with the chaos in the capital any more. 

And even Platzeck has in the past expressed unwillingness to move beyond his present post in Brandenburg. Maybe he was just playing hard to get though. If true, his coy tactics have certainly worked: with Müntefering on his way out and Gerhard Schröder thinking about his memoirs, Platzeck is one of the few credible candidates who stand a chance of getting the SPD back into the chancellery in 2009.