(Bloomberg) -- Support for Chancellor Olaf Scholz to lead Germany’s Social Democrats into an early election is starting to crumble within his own ranks, according to people familiar with the situation.
Some party members would rather see Defense Minister Boris Pistorius spearheading the party’s campaign ahead of a national poll on Feb. 23, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations.
An SPD spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pistorius, who joined the German government in January 2023, has long been touted as a possible successor to Scholz and is generally regarded as the more popular candidate. A poll for broadcasters RTL and n-tv published on Friday showed 66% of voters surveyed think Pistorius should be the SPD’s lead candidate. Only 18% said Scholz was the right choice.
Pistorius himself told journalists on Friday that while he couldn’t rule out a potential candidacy, “it would be the first time in German history that a ruling party would swap its governing chancellor for a new candidate before an election.”
Social Democrats are set to pick a chancellor candidate at a party congress in January.
German magazine Der Spiegel reported earlier on Saturday that members of the SPD’s conservative wing expressed doubts about Scholz’s popularity among voters and party members during a meeting earlier this week.
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