Olaf Scholz's hopes of being re-elected as German chancellor is under threat as calls for his withdrawal intensify. Infighting within the SPD and dwindling popularity among the German people have contributed to the unprecedented move.
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.
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The president and chief executive of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Børge Brende, announced on Thursday (26 February) that he is stepping down, weeks after the organisation launched an independent investigation into his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
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Newcastle United secured a 3–2 victory over Qarabağ FK in the return leg of the UEFA Champions League play-offs at St James’ Park.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz agreed on Wednesday in Beijing to strengthen economic cooperation while addressing trade imbalances, market access concerns, and the war in Ukraine, during Merz’s first official visit to China since taking office.
U.S. President Donald Trump declared a “golden age” for America in his first second-term State of the Union on Tuesday evening, delivering the longest-ever address at more than 90 minutes. Here are the main takeaways.
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