SPD nominates Scholz as lead candidate

Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) has nominated Chancellor Olaf Scholz as their lead candidate for the upcoming election, according to party sources. The SPD leadership’s nomination will need final approval by party members at a convention scheduled for January 11. Despite facing poor poll ratings and speculations of a potential alternative candidate for the leadership, Scholz’s position was bolstered when Defense Minister Boris Pistorius endorsed him, citing his reason and prudence as critical during global upheavals and populist attacks on democracy. The SPD is projected to suffer a significant drop in voter support, with polls suggesting they may only receive between 14 to 16 percent of votes, a decline from the 25.7 percent received in the 2021 election. Earlier in November, the coalition government called the ‘traffic light coalition’, comprising SPD, FDP, and the Greens, collapsed when FDP left the government after Scholz dismissed FDP’s Finance Minister Christian Lindner due to significant cooperation difficulties.