Scholz over Pistorius: SPD reaffirms support for chancellor
Olaf Scholz or Boris Pistorius? Discussions about the SPD candidate for chancellor have been ongoing for weeks. Now everything has been clarified. The Social Democrats have decided to back the current head of the federal government.
We now know who will be the candidate for chancellor from the SPD - the party leading the current governing coalition in Germany. For many weeks, there has been speculation about whether the party would nominate the incumbent chancellor, Olaf Scholz, or possibly the defence minister, Boris Pistorius.
Scholz, as the head of government, seems to be the natural SPD candidate in the elections. However, Olaf Scholz is very unpopular within society, as is his entire government. In fact, it has recently become a minority government because the liberal FDP left it.
The alternative, Boris Pistorius, fares much better. For months, he has been leading trust rankings among politicians in Germany and is also the most highly rated SPD politician. Voters seemingly appreciate his decisive style and consistent actions in the defence department, especially in providing military aid to Ukraine.
Debates within the party
Thus, for months it was suggested that the popular Boris Pistorius, rather than the unpopular Olaf Scholz, should be the candidate for chancellor in the upcoming elections. However, the outcome was different. On Thursday evening, Pistorius announced that he did not intend to run for candidacy. This means that Olaf Scholz will once again run for the chancellor position.
In a video recording published on the SPD channel, Pistorius assured that the decision was his own. He also urged party members to continue supporting Olaf Scholz.
- Olaf Scholz embodies rationality and composure. This is particularly important in these times, marked by global upheavals and dangerous populist attacks on democracy worldwide. Olaf Scholz is a strong chancellor and the right candidate for chancellorship - said Pistorius.
The politician added that he never wanted the party to struggle with discussions about the candidate for chancellor because of him.
The chances that the SPD candidate will assume the head of government are slim. In the polls, the SPD party receives only 14 per cent of the votes. This is less than half of what the Christian Democratic opposition CDU/CSU has, with 33 per cent of Germans wanting to vote for them. This is according to the latest Deutschlandtrend survey for ARD television.
This means that the greatest chance for the chancellor's seat currently belongs to CDU leader Friedrich Merz. Early elections in Germany, prompted by the collapse of Scholz's coalition, are set to be held on 23 February.
