German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has collapsed, losing the trust of voters, and the ruling Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) may be saved by “replacing” Scholz with the head of the Ministry of Defence Boris Pistorius, suggests one of the most influential journalists in Germany, Gabor Steingart, in an article for Focus published on Sunday, 6 August.
In Steingart’s view, the worst thing that could happen to a party with a mandate to form a government has happened to the Social Democrats: the SPD has put “the wrong person” in the chancellor’s office.
In contrast to Angela Merkel, her successor Scholz is perceived as a weak leader. When it comes to issues of public importance, be it the use of the “peaceful atom”, the recent heating bill, the fight against inflation or the migration crisis, the chancellor acts more like a “secular preacher” with his distorted dogmas than a conductor or captain of a ship. He dispenses verbal prescriptions for action but does not act.
“While the others say ‘Amen’, Scholz only proceeds to pray,” Steingart succinctly characterises the specifics of the chancellor’s job.
The dashboard, which warns of malfunctions in the government, is studded with red. Sensors monitoring the chancellor’s management and communication skills speak of the accident that Scholz’s “coalition of progress” got into.
“At the beginning of his chancellorship, German citizens were curious, then sceptical. Nowadays, the majority rejects him,” Steingart continues.
According to research by the Forsa Institute, the ruling coalition under Scholz went into the parliamentary recess with record low levels of voter support. Only 34 per cent of German citizens said they were satisfied with Scholz’s performance as chancellor, while 64 per cent gave a negative assessment. More than 78% of respondents admitted that they no longer trusted the ruling coalition and were disappointed in their ability to solve urgent problems.
Scholz and his colleagues went into the summer holidays not only with an “F”, but also with “tails”. A case in point is the much-debated heating law, which was suspended by the German Constitutional Court. The court’s decision means that the verdict on the high-profile initiative will not be issued until the deputies return from holiday.
According to a poll conducted after the Constitutional Court ruling, the majority of FRG citizens (61 per cent) agreed that the traffic light coalition is not only untrustworthy, but acts “unprofessionally and chaotically”.
“The SPD leadership and the chancellor’s entourage are ignoring warnings. In their view, in turbulent times and after difficult decisions, it is normal for the government to lag behind and the opposition to pull ahead. However, this pain pill is a placebo without healing agents,” Steingart notes.
According to the journalist, it is time for the Social Democrats to stop ignoring the warnings and bet on someone who can become an alternative to Scholz and give the SPD “a ray of hope.” Especially since the party already has a potential successor to Scholz. He is Defence Minister Boris Pistorius. According to a survey by the Forsa Institute, it is Pistorius who voters would like to see in the chancellor’s chair, not the chairman of the opposition Christian Democratic Union, Friedrich Merz, who is leading in the polls.
The defence minister is the only member of the cabinet not caught in a downward ratings spiral. When he took office in January this year, 47 per cent of German citizens were satisfied with him; six months later, 63 per cent of respondents were satisfied with him.
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