Germany votes:

Quiet farewell at the finale for Chancellor Scholz

Election campaign finale: SPD Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the public discussion in Potsdam.

(Bild: AFP or licensors)

In a place where the mighty steamships of the German Empire were once launched into the water, the last election campaign event of SPD Chancellor Olaf Scholz took place in the historic Schinkelhalle in Potsdam. A fitting setting for a man who is also known as an enthusiastic amateur rower. In the final "citizens' talk", he met voters who openly asked him their questions in this familiar setting.

Scholz is in his element here. "I like election campaigns. It's a great conversation with the citizens," he once said. "And I've done well so far wherever I've run." An optimism that is also shared in the Schinkelhalle. Even if it is more optimism for a purpose.

Olaf Scholz feels comfortable in dialog with the citizens.

(Bild: EPA)

A challenge to the CDU/CSU and AFD
Scholz opened the evening with a six-minute statement in which he once again addressed the CDU and the gradual softening of the front against the right. With the question "What can we still believe in the CDU?", he set a clear accent, which was accompanied by thunderous applause. His appeal to prevent the CDU and AfD from forming a majority together in future also met with majority approval.

The Chancellor then strolled through the ranks of those present and addressed a wide range of topics. Pension security, migration policy and - inevitably - the role of the AfD were on the agenda. One voter pointedly asked whether "the traffic light system is to blame for the rise of the AfD" - an accusation that could not be dismissed out of hand in view of the poll figures showing a rise in the AfD from ten to twenty percent during the SPD, Greens and FDP's time in government.

(Bild: AFP)

Side blow against former FDP finance minister
Scholz replied that he hoped the polls were wrong, but at the same time conceded that the Ampel's time in government had not been easy. Taking a swipe at former FDP Finance Minister Christian Lindner, he warned: "If you don't move for months, you have to expect heckling from the captain."

Debate about the shortage of teachers 
Other critical questions concerned the ongoing debate about the shortage of teachers and the wording of the law, which many citizens find incomprehensible. The issue of the rising cost of living - for example in housing and energy - also took center stage, with Scholz emphasizing the strengthening of tenants' rights.

A migrant who, despite having completed his teacher training, pointed out that his application for naturalization had been pending for years and reported that he was at risk of deportation, lent additional poignancy to the discussion. In response to the voice of a soldier in the German army who wanted more recognition, Scholz thanked him for his service with a sober gesture.

However, not everyone present showed understanding: criticism of the dismantling of German development cooperation and the public transport network in Potsdam was voiced - and at one point, an angry citizen left the room before receiving a reply.

There is a quiet farewell tone in the air
Despite the heated debates, Scholz remained constant in his manner: he thanked the audience for every single question and answered calmly, disciplined and sometimes detailed, sometimes evasive. However, there was a quiet farewell tone in the air in the Schinkelhalle. At the end, those present even had the opportunity to take a last selfie with the outgoing chancellor in a symbolic moment - a silent farewell to his chancellorship.