What do we need to know about a politician who has inspired the Social Democrats, the one who has long been underestimated and whom the party has never truly loved?
With enthusiastic shouts and applause – this is how the main candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Olaf Scholz, was greeted on Sunday evening at the tribune of the party headquarters in Berlin. He succeeded in something that until recently was considered impossible: to bring the Social Democratic Party out of its long-standing crisis and to achieve significantly better results than in the previous parliamentary elections in 2017.
In the spring of 2021, the party still garnered only 15% of the electoral support. But then, suddenly, her steep ascent began. However, the road to the post of chancellor has not yet been completed. Who will rule Germany will be decided after coalition talks in the coming weeks and months. Because different coalitions are possible. However, the Social Democrats will lead these negotiations with their heads held high and with the confidence that they have achieved a very good result.
How strong is Scholz’s social democratic charge?
During the election campaign, the GSDP bet entirely on Olaf Scholz – his face was on all the posters, he delivered speeches at all election rallies, he participated in political debates. The party’s entire campaign was focused solely on the personality of its 63-year-old main candidate. “He is a man of action who understands his job and knows how to do it” – this was the message with which the Social Democrats presented Olaf Scholz as a statesman with extensive managerial experience and as a natural successor to Angela Merkel. Since 2018, Scholz has been Finance Minister in Merkel’s cabinet, as well as Vice-Chancellor of the ruling broad coalition of HDZ / HSS and GSDP.
But how strong is Olaf Scholz’s social democratic charge? This seemingly strange question can only be answered by looking back. In 2019, Scholz wanted to become chairman of the Social Democratic Party, but in the internal party poll he remained second. The Saskia Esken and Norbert-Walter Boryans won with the promise of a more left-wing political course than the previous one. Olaf Scholz has always been considered more of the conservative wing of the GSDP. It was all the more surprising that in August 2020, the party nominated Scholz as its candidate for chancellor, whom it had previously refused to elect as its chairman.
You stand up and move forward boldly
The way Scholz accepted his defeat in his election as party leader is indicative of his ability to deal with crises. His principle: you stand up again and go on, without doubting yourself for a moment. Scholz is endowed with unshakable self-confidence, built in the years of his ten-year political career, which has experienced more than one or two tremors. However, nothing managed to divert him from his path.
A number of crisis situations that have cast some shadow over Scholz’s role as finance minister have failed to really hurt him – be it the tax scandal surrounding the Cum-Ex deals or the Wirecard fraud. The Social Democrat invariably succeeded in dismissing the accusations against him.
“No one should be afraid”
His qualities as a sober and pragmatic man also helped him in the crisis around the pandemic. And he was the man who distributed billions in aid. Scholz also managed to take advantage of this fact to speak in a positive light. Germany is able to deal financially with the problems caused by the pandemic – was his motto. In the election campaign, he also promised that the country would be able to repay the 400 billion new commitments it had made because of the pandemic. “No one should be afraid, once we have managed to repay the debts after the last crisis of 2008/2009 and now we will manage again in less than 10 years.”
In a similar way, Olaf Scholz puts forward his arguments regarding climate protection. “Pragmatically, but also facing the future,” he summed up his program in this area.
Foreign policy Scholz is a guarantor of consistency. He says that under his leadership, Germany will commit itself to “a strong and sovereign Europe” that “speaks with one voice”, “because otherwise we would be depersonalized”. Scholz firmly upholds the principle of active cooperation with the United States and NATO.
“Automation” Scholz
Scholz’s pragmatism was clearly liked by the citizens. In uncertain times, this quality is clearly valued more than personal charm. And Scholz is devoid of charisma. Demonstrating excitement and emotion is something Scholz simply cannot do. Even in moments of greatest joy, he remains outwardly unperturbed.
It was only during the election campaign that he showed more emotions and closeness to people, changed his facial expressions and gestures to some extent. For many years, however, he was ironically called “Scholzomat” (a play on words – a combination of Scholz and automaton), describing his monotonous, automated way of speaking and his expressionless face.
And his own Social Democratic Party often did not show much understanding for the introverted pragmatist from Hamburg, who invariably said only the essentials and not a word more. When running for party positions, Scholz generally received the weakest results. However, he managed to rise in the political hierarchy. Silent but effective.
From a critic of capitalism to a finance minister
At the same time, he is experiencing a remarkable political change. In the 1980s, as chairman of the Social Democrats’ youth organization, Scholz was still too radical. He insisted, for example, “to overcome the capitalist economy.” But his work as an employment lawyer with his own office in Hamburg changed the mind of the law graduate and showed him how the economy and entrepreneurship actually work.
Until now, Scholz has been Secretary General of the Social Democrats, Minister of Labor, Senator of the Interior and Chief Mayor of Hamburg, and in 2018 he became Minister of Finance and Vice Chancellor. As a possible chancellor, he would like to rule with the Greens and the Free Democrats. But will this wish of his come true? We are yet to find out.
The text has been published HERE
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