German politicians have reacted with relief to the end of Bashar al-Assad’s rule in Syria. Olaf Scholz called the fall of the longtime leader a “good news”. “Bashar brutally oppressed his own people, he has countless lives on his conscience and he caused many people to flee Syria, many of whom also came to Germany”explained the chancellor.
At the same time, Angela Merkel’s successor warned of further escalation in the country: “Syria must not fall into the hands of other radicals, whatever their appearance. » He called on parties to provide comprehensive protection for ethnic and religious minorities such as Kurds, Alawites and Christians. The Syrian news is not without consequences on the campaign in view of the early elections of February 23 across the Rhine. His opponents reproach him for his obvious lack of firmness and courage.
These days, he is also showing restraint in the debate on the return of Syrian refugees without clearly indicating the procedure to follow. “Concretely, my idea is to first examine closely the situation in Syria, which remains very dangeroushe declared, giving the feeling of playing for time while appearing hesitant, even feverish. For Syrians living in Germany, the question of returning home will arise. Perhaps many of them want to participate in the reconstruction of their country. »
Olaf Scholz is criticized for his obvious lack of firmness
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the AfD (the far-right party) are calling on the federal government to provide concrete responses as quickly as possible. Union faction MP Jens Spahn said at the end of the week: “Let’s imagine we made an offer… What would happen if the federal government said to everyone who wants to return to Syria: ‘We will charter them machines and they will receive an entry fee of 1,000 euros’? »
As the elections approach, the tone is hardening in almost all parties. On the side of the AfD, which is presenting for the first time with Alice Weidel a candidate for such an important electoral deadline, the Syrians must return to their country. “Anyone celebrating free Syria on German soil obviously no longer has any reason to flee and should return to Syria immediately”wrote Weidel on X.
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But there are also voices within the AfD who instead expect a new refugee movement. The deputy chairman of the parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Stefan Keuter, explained that it would be necessary to examine closely whether Syrians could now return home. However, it supposes a reverse evolution. “The upheavals in Syria will very likely trigger new refugee movements. We must prepare ourselves to better anticipate them and thus avoid repeating the mistakes of 2015.” He called on the federal government to take immediate measures to prevent a further influx of refugees at the German borders.
Proof that this Syrian news has undeniable repercussions on the campaign, in the latest Ipsos poll, Scholz comes… last, with only 12% of the votes, while the CDU candidate Friedrich Merz is in the lead (19%) ahead of Weidel (15%) and Robert Habeck, from the Green Party (13%). Since Scholz agreed a month ago, under pressure from the conservative Christian Democrats, to organize a vote of confidence in the Bundestag in a few days and to schedule new elections in a little over two months, he has been at the elbow -neck with Merz in various polls before gradually falling.
This electoral deadline will mainly be played out on the themes of insecurity and immigration. For Scholz, the fall of Bashar al-Assad is ultimately not such good news, as shown by his increasingly steep decline in the polls…
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