Olaf Scholz received some support from the ranks of his Social Democrats after several party officials questioned whether he should be the top candidate in Germany’s upcoming snap election given his poor popularity ratings.
SPD head Lars Klingbeil backed Scholz late Sunday on German public broadcaster ARD, following calls by lawmakers who urged a quick decision in favor of the current chancellor in order to end a potentially bruising debate for the party that currently trails Friedrich Merz’s Conservative bloc and the far-right Alternative for Germany.
I advise my party to remain united and clearly focused on the election campaign with our candidate for chancellor, Olaf Scholz, Bernd Westphal, economic policy spokesman for the SPD’s parliamentary group, said on Sunday. He called on the party leadership to pass a resolution before the end of the year to create clarity and nominate Scholz. His comments echoed remarks by lawmakers including Holger Mann and Axel Schaefer in German media reports.
The Social Democrats can ill-afford an internal power struggle as Scholz’s appeal among voters wanes. But some party officials would prefer Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, currently Germany’s most popular politicians according to polls, to lead the campaign instead. Scholz is still sticking to his pitch for a renewed candidacy.
The SPD and I are prepared to enter into this confrontation, and with the goal to win it,” he told journalists in Berlin on Sunday, before departing for the Group of 20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.
The Social Democrats currently garner some 16% support in national polls and are in third place behind the Christian Democrats and the right-wing Alternative for Germany. The Greens were at 10% in an INSA report published Saturday.
