Media learned of an attempt by SPD leadership to dissuade Scholz from going to the polls

Lars Klingbeil, co-chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), asked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at least twice to refrain from running for the post again in the election. This was reported by the Tagesspiegel newspaper on February 5, in a joint investigation with the t-online portal.

The media outlet notes that Klingbeil expressed concern that after the collapse of the "Traffic Light" coalition (SPD, Greens, FDP) in November 2024, the chancellor's rating within the party has plummeted, and even his former supporters have begun to advocate the candidacy of Defense Minister Boris Pistorius for chancellor. Pistorius is now the most popular German politician in the country, according to polls.

Saskia Esken, another co-chair of the SPD, and Matthias Mirsch, the party's general secretary, share concerns that Scholz's re-nomination would prevent the party from winning the early federal election scheduled for Feb. 23. However, Scholz has insisted on endorsing his candidacy for the election in conversations with SPD chairmen, media reports said.

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Earlier, on February 2, a poll conducted by the Insa Institute for Public Opinion Research showed that in Germany 32% of citizens surveyed support the creation of a coalition of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the SPD in the Bundestag after the elections on February 23, 2025.

Prior to that, Scholz fired Finance Minister and leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) Christian Lindner from the cabinet on November 6, 2024. Lindner explained that Scholz had thus ended his cooperation with the entire FDP.

Scholz later passed a vote of confidence in the government, which was considered in the Bundestag on December 16. As a result, the parliament passed a vote of no confidence in the cabinet, after which President Frank Walter called a snap election to be held on February 23.