According to former SPD party and parliamentary group leader Franz Müntefering, the question of the SPD’s candidate for chancellor has not yet been decided in Olaf Scholz’s favor. “In the SPD, there are committees and rules according to which such decisions are made,” the 84-year-old told the “Tagesspiegel”. “All of this will be adhered to. And at some point in 2025, the party conference will decide: We will do it in the following constellation. We have to wait that long, the question of who will be the candidate will remain open.”
At the weekend, Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated his claim to be the candidate for chancellor in the 2025 federal election, despite weak poll ratings. His party colleague and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is doing better in polls. He is “firmly expecting that the SPD and I will receive such a strong mandate in 2025 that we will also lead the next government,” the Chancellor told the “Tagesspiegel.” “I am a runner and I am in good shape,” said Scholz. Pistorius, “like many others, wants me to run for chancellor again.”
Who has the best chances for the “big thing”?
In this context, Müntefering recalled the legendary SPD parliamentary group leader Herbert Wehner. “Wehner would behave in such a way that the party would have every chance of being at the forefront again after the election.” Despite all the personalization, parties are “about the big issue: How can we organize people’s coexistence well and fairly?”
The candidate for chancellor should be the person who has the best chance of implementing “the big thing,” said Müntefering. “The Social Democrats will decide together: who can do it, who will do it?” There is no reason to rush.
Müntefering also praised Pistorius. He does not present himself as a “fine minister” but is “a mayor type” and that is his strength. “This makes Pistorius seem natural and is therefore being considered for important positions. He behaves completely correctly.”
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