SPD candidacy for chancellor: Pistorius “firmly assumes” Scholz’s nomination

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) assumes that his party will go into the new election with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “I can only say what I have always said. We have an excellent Chancellor who has decided that he wants to continue,” said Pistorius during a visit to Bonn.

He pointed out that the SPD had a party conference on January 11th. “He will be nominated there. I’m sure of that,” said Pistorius about the chancellor’s candidacy. “And I generally don’t answer hypothetical questions about whether I would be available for anything because I would have to rule out something that no one has asked me about or declare myself available for something that no one has asked me about.”

Pistorius said both “don’t really make sense” to him. At the same time, he emphasizes that he would like to remain defense minister in a future government. “I really have a lot of work in my department. I would like to continue it because it is not yet finished,” he said.

He visited the Bonn-based European arms agency Occar and said: “Europe must invest even more in its own security in the future, and in the best coordinated way, together with its partners.” The joint approach makes it cheaper for everyone. In addition, systems could then be exchanged with one another and operated together (“interoperability”).