German chancellor Olaf Scholz is facing growing calls within his Social Democrats Party (SPD) to step aside and allow his Defence Minister Boris Pistorius to lead the party into next year’s election. He says he wants to run for a second term next year.
Scholz's snap election announcement was backed by SPD leaders this week despite the party languishing in third place behind the opposition conservatives and far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) on around 16%, down 10 points since the 2021 election.
A survey of SPD supporters by pollster Forsa confirmed Scholz’s dwindling popularity within the supporters, with 58% of the voters backing Pistorius as chancellor candidate compared to just 30% for Scholz. However, the final decision is likely to be announced at a party congress in January.
Lesser-known, regional politicians have called for a rethink in what would be an unprecedented move - akin to that of the U.S. Democrats in July in persuading President Joe Biden to drop his re-election bid.
Critics say Scholz lack of leadership resulting in messy, belated compromises, as well as communication skills required to reassure the population, particularly in challenging times, have all contributed to infighting within the coalition. They say it has not helped the party’s nor Scholz’s ambitions as next year’s elections draw nearer.
"Scholz has made good policies over the past three years, but he has not managed to win people over and communicate leadership," two state lawmakers in Hamburg, where Scholz was mayor from 2011-2018, said in a post on Instagram.
Germany is set to hold a snap election on 23 February after Scholz's three-way coalition of SPD, the Greens and neoliberal Free Democrats Party (FDP) collapsed last week following months of infighting.
Hundreds of migrants, including families with young children, risked perilous conditions to climb atop a cargo train in Mexico’s Veracruz state, seeking a brief reprieve on their journey to the U.S. border amidst heightened fears of stricter immigration policies.
Thailand’s Constitutional Court has rejected a bid to bar former PM Thaksin Shinawatra from influencing the ruling Pheu Thai party. Thaksin, father of PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra, denies any involvement since returning in 2023 after 15 years of self-imposed exile.
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel describes her dealings with world leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump during her 16 years in power in her new memoir, which comes as her legacy is under fire in light of today's crises.
The Philippines and the United States signed a military intelligence-sharing agreement on Monday, bolstering defense ties amid rising tensions in the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific region.
QatarEnergy sharply cut the term price for al-Shaheen crude oil loading in January, trade sources said on Friday, in line with a recent fall in Middle East spot premiums.
A massive fire broke out in a residential area in the Tondo of Manila, capital of Philippines, leaving thousands of houses engulfed in flames and more than 2,000 families homeless.
Negotiations at COP29 in Baku face a critical impasse as sharp divisions over climate finance and fossil fuel commitments threaten progress.
"Come up with the video in its full form," demands the COP29 CEO, Elnur Soltanov, in an exclusive interview with AnewZ. The chief executive has broken his silence on the claims he was using his position to organise potential fossil fuel deals.
The United Nations COP29 climate change conference in Baku seeks $1 trillion annually to help vulnerable nations tackle climate change, as political tensions and Argentina’s withdrawal overshadow talks.
A massive fire broke out in a residential area in the Tondo of Manila, capital of Philippines, leaving thousands of houses engulfed in flames and more than 2,000 families homeless.
A massive fire broke out in a residential area in the Tondo of Manila, capital of Philippines, leaving thousands of houses engulfed in flames and more than 2,000 families homeless.
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