German conservative leader Friedrich Merz, leader of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), launched his election bid on Wednesday (November 13) by attacking Chancellor Scholz. He called the Social Democrat “lightweight” and his tactics in ending the ruling coalition “simply unworthy of a chancellor.”
Scholz’s ruling coalition with the Greens and the Free Democrats collapsed on November 6 after he fired Finance Minister and FDP leader Christian Lindner for publishing a paper that conflicted with Scholz’s position.
The CDU and its conservative Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), are currently leading in polls by a wide margin, with 32 per cent support, and appear likely to lead the next coalition government with Merz as chancellor.
Scholz’s SPD, on the other hand, is polling third with 16 percent, just behind the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party with almost 18 percent.
The political turmoil comes with Germany mired in a prolonged period of stagnation and its manufacturers – including its crucial car sector – facing a damaging trade war with China and Europe.
