Germany’s Scholz Faces Dwindling Support Within Own Party
(Bloomberg) -- Support for Chancellor Olaf Scholz to lead Germany’s Social Democrats into an early election is starting to crumble within his own ranks, according to people familiar with the situation.
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Some party members would rather see Defense Minister Boris Pistorius spearheading the party’s campaign ahead of a national poll on Feb. 23, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations.
An SPD spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pistorius, who joined the German government in January 2023, has long been touted as a possible successor to Scholz and is generally regarded as the more popular candidate. A poll for broadcasters RTL and n-tv published on Friday showed 66% of voters surveyed think Pistorius should be the SPD’s lead candidate. Only 18% said Scholz was the right choice.
Pistorius himself told journalists on Friday that while he couldn’t rule out a potential candidacy, “it would be the first time in German history that a ruling party would swap its governing chancellor for a new candidate before an election.”
Social Democrats are set to pick a chancellor candidate at a party congress in January.
German magazine Der Spiegel reported earlier on Saturday that members of the SPD’s conservative wing expressed doubts about Scholz’s popularity among voters and party members during a meeting earlier this week.
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