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German is preparing for elections that are taking place earlier than scheduled as Scholz’s three-party coalition collapsed in November.
Expectations are high from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, also known as the ‘Scholzomat’. (AFP)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose three-party coalition collapsed earlier this month, was Monday unanimously nominated as the Social Democrats’ top candidate for early elections in February, party sources said.
The SPD’s federal executive board backed Scholz, days after Defence Minister Boris Pistorius declared he would not be a candidate for chancellor. Scholz still has to be officially confirmed at a party conference on January 11.
The elections are to be held seven months earlier than scheduled after the collapse at the start of November of Scholz’s coalition with the Greens and Free Democrats (FDP).
Scholz is the “face” of a failed government marked by perpetual disputes, according to news magazine Der Spiegel.
He is “probably the weakest, most unsuitable candidate for the chancellorship that the SPD has ever put forward”, it said.
The main opposition conservatives, comprised of the CDU and CSU parties, are way ahead with 33 percent in opinion surveys, while the resurgent far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is on 18 percent.
Can Scholz Pull Through?
But even with the odds stacked against him, the man nicknamed “Scholzomat” because of his uninspiring style of public speaking appears convinced he can once again lead his party to victory.
Scholz has pointed out that he defied predictions to triumph at Germany’s last elections in 2021, even though he greatly benefited from divisions within the conservative opposition.
In a speech on Friday, Scholz was already courting voters by calling for “prudence” in Germany’s approach to military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
While Germany is Kyiv’s second-biggest military backer, Scholz has refused to send long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine, fearing they could escalate the conflict.
According to a recent survey by public broadcaster ARD, 61 percent of Germans support that decision.
Scholz also held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month, leading the opposition to accuse him of electioneering tactics by seeking to present himself as the “peace chancellor”.
SPD general secretary Matthias Miersch on Sunday called on the SPD to “stand united behind Scholz”, acknowledging that “the debates of the last few weeks have certainly not helped” the party.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)
- Location :
Berlin, Germany