Scholz's Party Rejects Call for Crisis Regarding Its Leader Candidate - BNN Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) — A spokesman for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats denied reports that the party would hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss whether Scholz should be the party’s candidate for chancellor.

SPD deputy leaders will hold a regular conference call to organize the campaign ahead of the Feb. 23 snap elections, party spokesman Dominik Dicken said via text message. “The report is wrong.”

Bild reported that the SPD leadership will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss who the party’s candidate for chancellor will be.

Speculation is mounting that Scholz’s second-term bid could be derailed due to his low approval ratings. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who regularly leads popularity polls, is seen by many in the party as a better alternative to Scholz.

Former party leader Sigmar Gabriel openly questioned Scholz’s second candidacy on Tuesday. Gabriel wrote about X that there was growing resistance to Scholz among the party base. “What is needed now is bold political leadership,” he said.

Members of the SPD’s influential North Rhine-Westphalia group also distanced themselves from Scholz. “We hear a lot of support for Boris Pistorius,” SPD MP Dirk Wiese and party group leaders Wiebke Esdar said, according to the local Rheinische Post newspaper. “With a certain distance, Scholz’s work and decisions regarding our country will definitely be received more positively.”

Party co-leaders Lars Klingbeil and Saskia Esken voiced their support for Scholz, who has not been officially nominated as his party’s candidate so far. The Social Democrats are expected to choose a chancellor candidate at their party congress in January.

The SPD currently garners around 16 percent support in national polls, ranking third behind the Christian Democrats and the far-right Alternative for Germany. An INSA report published on Saturday had the Greens at 10 per cent.

(The sixth paragraph has been updated with comments from the regional SPD.)

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