German Chancellor Olaf Scholz launches battle for second term

Early legislative elections are scheduled for February 23, after the fall of the ruling coalition.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, appointed leader of his center-left party in the February elections, officially launched an electoral campaign on Monday, November 25, which promises to be perilous. “We want to come first, be the first party” at the end of the legislative vote on February 23, declared the imperturbable 66-year-old leader at a press conference.

The leadership of his Social Democratic Party (SPD) designated him earlier “unanimously” like his candidate, standing together despite recent internal dissensions and polls which show him to be largely the loser. Delegates will still have to validate the candidacy at a congress on January 11. The task promises to be titanic for the oldest party in Germany, credited with around 15% of voting intentions.

The campaign will be placed under the sign of support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion and the modernization of a German economy, he said, while the largest European economy is shaken by an industrial crisis which brings almost daily its share of social plans. The conservative opposition CDU/CSU received more than double that (33%), and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party was ahead of it with 18%.