Official announcement by the Federal President of Germany

SPD Unanimously Nominates Scholz as Chancellor Candidate, Warns Against Far-Right Ahead of February Election

Jan 11, 2025, 03:05 PM

Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) has officially nominated Chancellor Olaf Scholz as its candidate for the federal elections scheduled on February 23. At a special party congress in Berlin on January 11, Scholz was confirmed with overwhelming support from nearly 600 delegates, with only few dissenting votes. In his speech, Scholz emphasized core social democratic themes, called for higher wages, improved social protection, and warned against the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), stating, 'If we make the wrong turn on February 23, we will wake up in a different country.' He refrained from personal attacks on his main opponent, CDU leader Friedrich Merz, but acknowledged a past mistake. The SPD, currently polling at 15% and trailing behind the CDU/CSU and AfD, unanimously approved their election program. Despite trailing in polls, the party expressed confidence in an electoral comeback.