German ruling party picks chancellor candidate amid low polling numbers
German Social Democrats chose **Olaf Scholz** to run in next years election despite recent political setbacks. The party faces tough competition as polls show them trailing behind conservatives and far-right opponents
The German Social Democratic Party (SPD) has made its choice: Olaf Scholz will lead them into the Feb-23-2025 election‚ despite being the least-liked chancellor since the 90s
After Boris Pistorius (the well-liked defense minister) said no to running last week‚ the SPDʼs top team didnt hesitate to back Scholz - even though his three-party government just fell apart this month. His main focus points are: keeping peace by helping Ukraine carefully managing the economy and dealing with high prices
The numbers dont look good for the SPD right now. Theyʼre sitting at just 14% in polls (way behind the conservatives at 32% and the far-right AfD at 19%). Friedrich Merz‚ the conservativeʼs pick for chancellor is also doing better in popularity tests - heʼs got 44% while Scholz has 39%
Lars Klingbeil‚ who helps lead the SPD thinks Scholz is still their best bet: “Heʼs got steel nerves and stays calm when things get tough“ But he took a shot at Merz too: “This guy has never even been a mayor or run anything in government; its too risky to put someone like that in charge right now“
Most people think the next government might be a team-up between the SPD and conservatives - with Merz as the boss. The election is coming up in about three months (and everyoneʼs watching to see what happens)
