SPD polarized, picking between Pistorius and Scholz ahead of election

I have the fervent hope that the SPD leadership and all those responsible will find a common and quick answer to lead us out of the serious crisis and the low poll ratings we are in –Weingarten

 

 

By dpa correspondents I Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024

 

BERLIN – The co-leader of Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) warned on Saturday that the party must “stand behind” embattled Chancellor Olaf Scholz as the country speeds toward early elections.

“Olaf Scholz is the chancellor. And everyone who has responsibility in the SPD has made it clear in recent days that we stand behind him,” said Lars Klingbeil on the sidelines of an SPD event in the western city of Essen.

He said the SPD must prioritize dealing “with the content of the federal election campaign – not discussing personnel.”

Nevertheless, given Scholz’s miserable approval ratings there are growing voices in the SPD – both at the grassroots and national level – apparently openly in favour of choosing popular Defence Minister Boris Pistorius to be the party’s candidate for chancellor in the elections expected on February 23.

Germany’s Spiegel magazine reported on Saturday that in addition to a number of local and state-level politicians, several SPD members in the Bundestag have spoken out in support of Pistorius.

The report said that at a meeting last Tuesday of a conservative wing of the SPD called the Seeheimer Circle, lawmaker Joe Weingarten from Rhineland-Palatinate was particularly critical, saying Scholz is “out of favour” with the people in the western state. Weingarten did not want to directly comment on the report when asked by dpa.

“I have the fervent hope that the SPD leadership and all those responsible will find a common and quick answer to lead us out of the serious crisis and the low poll ratings we are in,” he said.

The conservative Christian Democrats/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) bloc is leading the SPD by a wide margin in public opinion polls.

According to the survey conducted for the Bild media outlet by the INSA polling institute, the CDU/CSU alliance remains the strongest force with 32%. The SPD stands at 16%.

But while many in the party seem eager to fight the election with Pistorius as the top candidate, Klingbeil, fellow SPD co-leader Saskia Esken, and general secretary Matthias Miersch have steadfastly stuck by Scholz.

Scholz himself has offered no hint he could remove himself from the race, and it is considered highly unlikely that the leadership would nominate another candidate against his will. The SPD leadership is expected to reach an agreement on the party’s chancellor candidate by November 30. The candidate is then expected to be officially nominated at a party conference on January 11.