"Failed"

Press gets tough with German chancellor

International daily newspapers comment on the German Bundestag's "no" to Chancellor Olaf Scholz's (Bilöd) vote of confidence on Tuesday with some harsh criticism of the SPD leader.

(Bild: AP/The Associated Press)

The way is clear for early elections in Germany on February 23. In a roll-call vote on the vote of confidence on Monday, the members of the Bundestag refused to support SPD Chancellor Olaf Scholz as requested. International daily newspapers don't mince their words and in some cases take Scholz to task. 

"Neue Zürcher Zeitung": "The Social Democrat Scholz has already proved himself unworthy of the trust placed in him in recent years. Above all, however, he has not earned new ones."

"Corriere della Sera": "This marks the end of one of the shortest governments in German history. What was supposed to be a courageous coalition according to Scholz is now, in the opinion of observers, a failed experiment. Why has Olaf Scholz failed? Clearly, three months after he took office, Russia invaded Ukraine and the coalition agreement was a waste of time. It is debatable whether he failed because of his icy, arrogant personality, which failed to connect with the country. Or whether his style of social democracy - business-friendly, technocratic, albeit social - is a remnant of the 2000s that voters reject. In this respect, Scholz's character and values are dangerously similar to those of his would-be successor Friedrich Merz."

"The Guardian": "Europe faces huge challenges over Ukraine, dealing with Donald Trump and with China. It would be a bad thing if the continent's legendary Franco-German engine were to break down now of all times."

"La Vanguardia": "The political instability that Germany is currently experiencing, characterized by a deep social divide, has made it almost impossible to steer a largely paralyzed economy - at a time when Europe is more dependent than ever on Germany's strength. The country has been stuck in prolonged stagnation for five years."

As expected, Germany's Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost the vote of confidence in the German Bundestag on Monday. This paves the way for the dissolution of the Bundestag and new elections.

(Bild: AP/The Associated Press)

"Hospodarske noviny": "Germany needs reforms. Its economy has been stagnating for a long time - and not just because of high energy prices. The Germans have saved so much that they have fallen behind others. They have invested neither in innovation nor in infrastructure, as evidenced by crumbling highway bridges and eternally delayed trains. In Germany, the debt brake has been held up like a totem."

"Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace": "It's a small earthquake in a country known for its stability, as the lower house has only been dissolved twice since the founding of the Federal Republic in 1949."

"Göteborgs-Posten": "Everything now suggests that it will be the CDU that will lead the government together with the SPD after the election in February. In other words: another grand coalition. These coalitions benefit neither the CDU, the SPD nor German democracy. But the CDU's ability to go the "Swedish way" and enter into cooperation with the right-wing populists in the AfD is not only made more difficult by Germany's historical sense of guilt."

Union currently far ahead in the polls
Just under ten weeks before the Bundestag elections on February 23, things are looking the best for CDU leader Friedrich Merz for the time being. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has been polling between 31 and 33 percent of the vote in recent surveys, putting it well ahead of the competition. The AfD is in second place with figures of 17 to 19 percent.

SPD only in third place
The 69-year-old CDU leader Friedrich Merz is hoping for even more, but an absolute is not in sight. After rejections from the CSU in particular to the Greens, a black-red coalition with the SPD could be on the cards. Scholz and his SPD are polling at 15 to 18 percent. Nevertheless, the (still) chancellor is convinced that his party can still overtake the CDU/CSU. It is an uphill race after the failed traffic light with the Greens and FDP.