Members of Chancellor Olaf Scholzʼs Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) urged him not to run for office again. This is apparently necessary so that the political force does not lose in the early elections.
This is stated in the statement of the representatives of the city parliament of Hamburg, Markus Schreiber and Tim Stoberok.
They believe that Scholz should propose the current Minister of Defense of Germany Boris Pistorius for the position of chancellor from the SPD. Schreiber and Stoberok call the head of the department "the most popular German politician" who "stands for action." Led by Pistorius, the Social Democratic Party seems to be able to gain leadership based on the results of the vote.
"We are concerned about the upcoming federal elections. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has had good policies for the past three years, but he has not been able to unite the people and convey the idea of leadership to them. We believe that his negative image, which has developed in the country, can no longer be corrected," say politicians.
This will only work if Scholz realizes that not running for re-election is his help to the Social Democrats, the chancellorʼs colleagues added. They are convinced that allowing Pistorius to be a new candidate for office is a "service to the country" from the current chancellor.
The Minister of Defense of Germany, in particular, supports the idea of preparing Berlin for a possible war with the Russian Federation by 2029. Pistorius is in favor of helping Ukraine in the fight against Moscow. In June 2024, he declared that Russiaʼs victory "will cost more than the current support of Ukraine." The politician also suggests an escalation of the conflict in Moldova and Georgia and an attack by the Kremlin on the Baltic states, which are members of NATO.
Collapse of the coalition in Germany
On November 6, Olaf Scholz dismissed Finance Minister Christian Lindner, accusing him of irresponsibility, selfishness and acting in favor of only his Free Democratic Party, which was one of three in the governmentʼs governing coalition. Lindner said that the Free Democrats are leaving the coalition and taking all their ministers.
Scholz made the decision due to differences with Lindner in budgetary, financial and economic policy. German media reported that the tripartite coalition could not decide what to do with the 2025 budget.
On November 7, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier fired three government officials. They are Finance Minister Christian Lindner, Justice Minister Marco Buschmann and Education Minister Bettini Stark-Watzinger.
The collapse of the coalition in Germany threatens to destabilize the political situation. This can lead either to the creation of a new government majority or to the announcement of early elections. The political crisis may also strengthen opposition parties, in particular the pro-Russian Alternative for Germany. AdN has an anti-migrant rhetoric, advocates the preservation of "traditional values", and also criticizes the EU and aid to Ukraine.
The Reuters agency wrote that Germany will be able to provide most of the €4 billion promised to Ukraine, even if the budget for 2025 is not approved in time after the collapse of the coalition government.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he is ready to hold a vote in parliament on a vote of confidence in his government earlier than January 15.
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