Chancellor’s popular rival says he is unavailable to stand, leaving Scholz as the default candidate
Boris Pistorius , one of Germany’s best-liked political figures, said it was his ‘sovereign and entirely own decision’ not to stand.Boris Pistorius , one of Germany’s best-liked political figures, said it was his ‘sovereign and entirely own decision’ not to stand., will be nominated as the candidate to lead his Social Democratic party into the February general election after his more popular defence minister, Boris Pistorius, pulled out of the race.
The move by Pistorius, who regularly tops polls of Germany’s best-liked politicians, brings a clear but messy end to the rumblings in the country’s oldest political party in making Scholz the apparent default choice. Weekly Die Zeit concluded that “the wrong one stepped aside” given Scholz’s dismal popularity ratings, suspecting widespread resignation in the party to imminent defeat. It said the SPD leadership had opted for the “safe choice” of continuing with Scholz rather than the unprecedented move of removing a sitting chancellor from the ballot against his will.
Scholz’s many detractors say he lacked the leadership qualities to rein in his quarrelling three-way coalition with the liberal Free Democratic party and the Greens, as well as the communication skills to sell its policy goals to voters struggling with high inflation and an uncertain economic outlook.
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