Admin I Tuesday, November 19, 2024
BERLIN – Several top leaders of Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) plan to discuss whether to replace Chancellor Olaf Scholz as the party’s top candidate for upcoming elections during a meeting on Tuesday evening, party sources told dpa.
Scholz has been plagued by poor popularity ratings in opinion polls, which have prompted speculation that the SPD could ditch him in favour of another candidate.
Scholz’s three-party coalition government collapsed earlier this month after the chancellor fired former finance minister Christian Lindner amid a months-long squabble over the budget.
Early elections are expected to be held in February, and polls show the conservative opposition CDU/CSU bloc with a wide lead. Party leaders have declared their support for Scholz to run again, but no decision has yet been made by the party executive.
In recent days, a growing number of SPD politicians at the local and national levels have openly spoken out in favour of a candidate in the person of Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.
Polls have consistently shown Pistorius as the most popular minister in the government.
A final decision on a chancellor candidate is expected to be made during an election campaign conference on November 30, at which the SPD will present the party’s candidate.
It was still unclear at midday whether all those named will take part in the discussions.
Scholz is currently in Brazil attending the G20 summit, and is expected to fly back to Berlin late on Tuesday. It was not immediately clear whether he would take part in the discussions.
