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.
Mexican federal officers detained Mayor Diego Rivera on Thursday during coordinated raids that also led to the arrest of the municipality’s security...
Georgia and the United States have held a rare high-level meeting in Washington, reopening cautious discussion about relations after years of politica...
Alphabet is emerging as a frontrunner in the global artificial intelligence race, as analysts and executives say Google has overtaken OpenAI, marking ...
Using art as a quiet alarm, a new exhibition in Baku is drawing attention to endangered wildlife and the need for environmental responsibility....
U.S. President Donald Trump says he will not support extending the New START nuclear arms control treaty and wants a new, “improved and modernised” agreement, even as Russia expresses regret over the pact’s expiration and warns of the dangers of an unconstrained nuclear arms race.
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators began the second round of U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday (4 February).
Ukraine and Russia carried out a rare exchange of 314 prisoners on Thursday as U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi closed with a pledge to resume negotiations soon, offering one of the clearest signs of diplomatic movement in months.
The final barrier preventing an unlimited nuclear arms race between Washington and Moscow hangs by a thread. With an expiration date looming this year and international inspections suspended, the world faces a precarious future regarding the containment of strategic weapons. Should we be worried?
Rivers and reservoirs across Spain and Portugal were on the verge of overflowing on Wednesday as a new weather front pounded the Iberian peninsula, compounding damage from last week's Storm Kristin.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) unveiled a new underground ballistic missile base on Wednesday (4 February), just over a day before the start of mediated nuclear negotiations with the United States, slated for Friday in Oman.
Morocco has evacuated more than 100,000 people from four provinces after heavy rainfall triggered flash floods across several northern regions, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia on Tuesday (3 February) of exploiting a U.S.-backed energy ceasefire to stockpile weapons and launch large-scale drone and missile attacks on Ukraine ahead of peace talks.
A second group of Palestinians receiving medical treatment arrived in Egypt from Gaza via the Rafah border crossing on Tuesday (3 February).
Russian troops in Ukraine have lost access to Starlink internet terminals after Kyiv and SpaceX moved to block unauthorised Russian use, a disruption Ukrainian officials described as a major blow to Moscow’s battlefield operations.
Mexican federal officers detained Mayor Diego Rivera on Thursday during coordinated raids that also led to the arrest of the municipality’s security director and the heads of public works and the land registry.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he will not support extending the New START nuclear arms control treaty and wants a new, “improved and modernised” agreement, even as Russia expresses regret over the pact’s expiration and warns of the dangers of an unconstrained nuclear arms race.
Georgia and the United States have held a rare high-level meeting in Washington, reopening cautious discussion about relations after years of political stagnation.
A London court has sentenced Russian captain Vladimir Motin to six years in prison for gross negligence over a 2025 ship collision that killed Filipino crew member Mark Pernia, whose body was never found.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment