Scholz Confirms Candidacy for German Chancellor in 2025 Election

The chancellor has stated that his Social Democratic Party was “united’ and “determined” to enter the next election “together”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced his intention to seek re-election in 2025. He downplayed recent poor poll results for his party, calling them a “stimulus” for improvement, during a two-hour conference in Berlin before his summer vacation.

Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) suffered its worst nationwide election result in the European Parliament elections in early June, securing just under 14% of the vote. The party’s rating also hovers around 14%, according to the ARD Deutschlandtrend survey published in early July.

Scholz asserted that his party remains “determined to go into the next federal election campaign together and to win.” While acknowledging that the poll results were “not good,” he expressed confidence that the SPD-led government could demonstrate its successful policy decisions and “succeed in convincing everyone of this.”

When asked if he would follow the lead of US President Joe Biden, who recently announced he would not seek re-election in 2024, Scholz maintained his commitment to running and winning in 2025. “I will run for chancellor to become the chancellor again,” he stated.

Under the German electoral system, the party that garners the most votes in the federal parliamentary election typically forms the government, often in coalition with other parties. The current government coalition is led by Scholz’s Social Democrats and includes the Greens and the Free Democratic Party. Most major parties generally nominate their chancellor candidates prior to the election as part of their campaign strategy.

Scholz described his party as “very united.” However, recent polls published in German media offer a contrasting view. A survey conducted in early July revealed that only one-third of SPD members believe Scholz should run again as the party’s chancellor candidate, with 67% suggesting a different candidate would increase their chances of success in next year’s elections.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was specifically mentioned as a suitable candidate by one-third of party members. Over half of SPD members (51%) also perceive their party to be in a serious crisis, according to the same poll conducted by the Forsa Institute on behalf of the RND media outlet. Nonetheless, a significant 55% of SPD members reported being either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with Scholz. The poll, conducted between July 8 and July 12, surveyed 1,001 SPD members.

Data from Statista, a German online statistics aggregator, indicates that Scholz’s public support has reached one of its lowest points since early 2022, with only 28% of Germans positively evaluating his performance as chancellor and 67% holding a negative view in June.