Resistance is building within Olaf Scholz's party.Image: trapezoid
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Olaf Scholz hopes to run again as the Social Democratic Party's candidate for chancellor. But he was not popular in Germany. Resistance to the 66-year-old is building within his own party.
November 19, 2024 06:37November 19, 2024 06:49
There are some undeniable parallels with the ouster of Joe Biden as the new Democratic presidential candidate in the United States. We Remember: Biden wants to run again, but after a disastrous appearance in a TV debate with Donald Trump in June, doubts about the 81-year-old have grown stronger than before.
While leading Democratic politicians immediately publicly backed him, in the days that followed, most behind the scenes grew increasingly supportive of him. Ultimately, Biden bowed to party pressure and withdrew from the new candidacy, clearing the way for Kamala Harris to become the Democratic presidential nominee.
Biden’s TV debates could mean the end of Olaf Scholz’s “his” traffic light government. The Prime Minister, like most others involved, fared poorly when the coalition collapsed.
Germany will hold new elections next February. Although Scholz's reputation has been severely damaged after the row over the past few weeks, the 66-year-old still hopes to run again as the SPD's candidate for chancellor. Like Joe Biden, he initially received overwhelming party support for the project. Party co-leader Saskia Esken confirmed again on Monday:
“He is our prime minister and our candidate for prime minister.”
Other SPD leaders, such as Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, also support Scholz, as he recently confirmed.
But at the same time, there was resistance within the Social Democratic Party. Two influential lawmakers are now speaking out to at least indirectly question Scholz's candidacy and distance themselves from him. Wiebke Esdar and Dirk Wiese are chairmen of the North Rhine-Westphalia state group, by far the largest of the SPD's parliamentary groups. Der Spiegel quoted two senior members of the Social Democratic Party writing, obtained by the news magazine:
“Chancellor Olaf Scholz's current reputation is closely tied to the traffic light alliance.”
Esdar and Wiese went on to say that they are aware that there is a debate within the SPD “but also beyond” about the party's best lineup for the federal elections on February 23, 2025. The two described Scholz this way:
“With some distance, his work and the decisions he made for our country will certainly be viewed more positively.”
Dirk Weiss has his doubts about Olaf Scholz.Picture: www.imago-images.de
This sounds more like “Olav Scholz's time is over” than “we want to try working with him again.” The two were also vocal about alternatives to Scholz. Esdal and Weiss wrote of the controversy they saw:
“We've heard a lot of support for Boris Pistorius.”
Pistorius has remained in the background during the turmoil during the traffic light debacle, and his record as defense minister is seen as decent across party lines. This is a special feature for those who engage in unwanted traffic lights. A recently released survey also showed that Pistorius is Germany's most popular politician.
Webek Esdal has given his more or less subtle support to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius as a candidate for prime minister.Picture: www.imago-images.de
What does Pistorius himself have to say about the situation? He spoke cautiously and praised Olaf Scholz, who is currently attending the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. Pistorius told a media event in Bavaria that he was doing “a very good job.”
“He said he wanted to continue. It was the most normal thing in the world.”
But Pistorius apparently didn't want to stop the speculation. During the event he also said:
“In politics you should never rule anything out, no matter what it is.”
In light of the boycott of Scholz's new candidacy, Bild has begun using the term “backstabbing,” which has particular historical significance in Germany.
It seems a little early to talk about such a thing: Olaf Scholz has not been removed from the team. However, it seems clear to many: with Scholz as candidate, the SPD has no chance of taking office again – another similarity to what happened with Joe Biden in the United States this summer.
Biden ultimately withdrew under intense pressure, and late — one of the reasons why alternative candidate Kamala Harris had no chance against Donald Trump. This is why the German Social Democratic Party made a decision as soon as possible.
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