Saskia Esken facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Saskia Esken
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Esken at hart aber fair in 2022
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| Co-leader of the Social Democratic Party | |
| Assumed office 6 December 2019 Serving with
Norbert Walter-Borjans (until 11 December 2021) Lars Klingbeil (since 11 December 2021) |
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| Preceded by | Malu Dreyer (acting) |
| Member of the Bundestag for Baden-Württemberg |
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| Assumed office 22 September 2013 |
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| Constituency | At-large |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Saskia Christina Hofer
28 August 1961 Stuttgart, West Germany |
| Political party | Social Democratic |
| Spouses |
Roland Esken
(m. 1993) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Stuttgart |
| Signature |  |
Saskia Christina Esken (born August 28, 1961) is a German politician. She is a co-leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). She was first elected to this role in December 2019. She was re-elected in December 2021. Esken has also been a member of the Bundestag, which is Germany's parliament, since 2013. Before becoming a politician, she worked as an IT specialist.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Saskia Esken was born in 1961 in Stuttgart, Germany. She studied literature and sociology for a while. Later, in 1991, she earned a certificate in IT. She worked in the IT field until 1994, when her children were born.
Political Journey
Joining the SPD
Saskia Esken joined the SPD in 1990. This was the start of her political career. From 2008 to 2015, she led the local SPD group in Bad Liebenzell. She also led the SPD group in the Calw district from 2010 to 2020.
Serving in the German Parliament
Esken became a member of the German Bundestag in 2013. She represents the Calw area. In parliament, she worked on several important committees.
- She was on the Committee on Internal Affairs from 2018 to 2019.
- She also served on the Committee on the Digital Agenda from 2013 to 2019.
- From 2013 to 2017, she was part of the Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment.
- She also advised on sustainable development during that time.
Esken was a key speaker for her party on topics like privacy, IT security, and digital education. She also worked on issues related to how the government uses technology.
In 2017, after the federal elections, she helped negotiate to form a new government. She was part of the team discussing digital policy.
Leading the SPD Party
In 2019, Saskia Esken decided to run for co-leader of the SPD. She ran alongside Norbert Walter-Borjans. They won the election in November 2019.
When they became leaders, they wanted to make changes to the government's plans. They asked for more investment and a higher minimum wage of 12 euros per hour. This helped bring different parts of the SPD party together.
In August 2020, Esken and Walter-Borjans announced that Olaf Scholz would be the SPD's candidate for Chancellor in the 2021 elections.
Other Activities and Roles
Saskia Esken is involved in several other organizations. These roles often relate to her interests in technology and consumer protection.
- She is a member of the advisory board for the Federal Network Agency, which oversees electricity, gas, and telecommunications.
- She is also on the Strategic Advisory Board for Stiftung Datenschutz, a data protection foundation.
- She is a member of the Board of Trustees for Ein Netz für Kinder (A Network for Children).
- Esken is a member of environmental groups like the German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND) and Greenpeace.
- She is also a member of the German United Services Trade Union.
Political Views
Saskia Esken has spoken out on various political topics.
- In 2019, she did not support the European Union's rules on copyright in the digital world.
- She has also called for changes to government spending and climate change policies.
- After the 2022 conflict in Ukraine, Esken asked former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder to leave the SPD. This was because of his close ties to Russia.
- In 2023, during a conflict, Esken cancelled a meeting with US Senator Bernie Sanders. She stated that she disagreed with his views on the situation.
See also
In Spanish: Saskia Esken para niños
