Olaf Scholz as candidate for chancellor? SPD politicians are calling for a resolution

In the dispute over the SPD’s candidacy for chancellor, several members of the Bundestag are demanding a quick decision from the party leadership for Olaf Scholz in order to end the debate. “Olaf Scholz is our Chancellor and has very successfully led Germany through unprecedented crises,” said Bernd Westphal, economic policy spokesman for the Bundestag faction, to the star. “I advise my party to be united and to focus clearly on the election campaign with our candidate for chancellor Olaf Scholz.” Westphal called on the party leadership to make a resolution “this year to create clarity”.

The Düsseldorf Bundestag member Andreas Rimkus said this star: “We have a chancellor. And that’s why we also have a candidate for chancellor. We should get that officially clear now.” Holger Mann, chairman of the Saxony state group, said: “I’m going into the election campaign with Olaf Scholz. We can’t let ourselves be fooled. There are less than 100 days until the election.”

The left-wing party member Axel Schäfer, a member of parliament from Bochum, called on the SPD leadership to pick up the pace. “The party leadership should now quickly decide on Olaf Scholz’s candidacy for chancellor.” He also expressed his displeasure at the statement made by former party leader Franz Müntefering, who had said that opposing candidacies were of course possible. “With all due respect to Franz Müntefering: There is no historical evidence for the claim that a vote on the candidacy for chancellor is possible – and it will not happen,” said Schäfer. “I kindly ask Franz Müntefering to stay away from the sidelines. That doesn’t help us in the current situation.”

For days, the voices of those who want a change in the candidate for chancellor in view of poor poll numbers and are pushing for Boris Pistorius to enter the race have been increasing. There are calls for a reorganization both in the local party and in the parliamentary group. The SPD leadership has supported Olaf Scholz in recent days, but has so far avoided a formal decision by the board.

The candidate for chancellor is to be chosen at a party conference on January 11th. However, the SPD assumes that the question needs to be clarified more quickly. The Chancellor is currently on a trip abroad and will be in Brazil until Wednesday morning.