The current German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will be the candidate of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) for the post of head of government in the early elections to the Bundestag scheduled for early 2025. This statement was made by party chairman Lars Klingbeil in Berlin the night before, UNN reports citing DW.
Details
"We will quickly clarify everything with the [SPD party leadership] on Monday (November 25)," Klingbeil was quoted as saying by dpa. "We want to enter the next election campaign together with Olaf Scholz.
Earlier, on November 21, Olaf Scholz's fellow party member, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, announced that he would not run for the post of head of the German government. His appeal was published on the page of the Social Democratic Party of Germany in the social network X.
Pistorius explained that the decision not to run for chancellor was entirely his own. He supported the current German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in his bid for the post. "Olaf Scholz is a strong chancellor, and he is the right candidate for chancellor," the German Defense Minister explained, adding that Scholz, in his opinion, ‘stands for reason and prudence,’ which is especially important in times of crisis like these.
Addendum
On November 6, Social Democrat Olaf Scholz announced the dismissal of Finance Minister Christian Lindner, the head of the Free Democratic Party (FDP). On the night of November 7, almost all FDP ministers announced that they would voluntarily resign. Thus, the ruling "traffic light coalition" in Germany, consisting of the SPD, FDP and Greens, collapsed.
Early elections to the Bundestag, which will result in the formation of a new government, will be held in Germany on February 23, 2025.