Germany’s Scholz tops SPD leader vote
28 October, 2019
German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz came in first in a vote to elect a leader of the Social Democrats (SPD) but fell short of a majority, triggering a runoff set to fuel debate over whether to stay in government with Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The SPD said Saturday that Scholz, who is also vice chancellor and wants to stay in the fractious ruling alliance with Merkel’s conservatives, won 22.7 percent of the vote by rank-and-file members.
Scholz, 61, only narrowly beat left-winger and coalition skeptic Norbert Walter-Borjans, who came in second with 21 percent.
A runoff vote will take place next month and a party conference in December must then formally approve the leadership vote.
Many members want the SPD to ditch the alliance with Merkel and reinvent itself in opposition. As Merkel’s junior partner in 10 of the 14 years she has led Europe’s biggest economy, they say the SPD has had to compromise too much on policy.
Walking out would probably trigger a snap election or possibly a minority government — both unappealing options for stability-loving Germans.
“I am relieved and happy over this result,” said Scholz. “We need a strong SPD that has confidence in itself — and the confidence to win elections.”
The SPD, Germany’s oldest party, is in crisis. Polling at around 14 percent, it is barely off all-time lows and has been leaderless since June when Andrea Nahles quit after scoring its worst-ever result in an election for the European Parliament.
Twelve candidates ran on joint tickets and one deciding factor was their position on whether to stay in government or leave, say analysts and pollsters.Speech
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