Olaf Scholz, the chancellor who never fell into good graces

BerlinDespite his unpopularity, outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was optimistic in the days before the election and did not throw in the towel. In 2021 He gave a surprise by winning the elections –the first since Angela Merkel's time in charge of the country– and he hoped to repeat the feat. Scholz was convinced that a victory was possible, although each poll that was published was a reality check. The results have shown that the polls were on the right track.

In a report by the public broadcaster ARD, a few days before the election, Scholz was seen exercising on a rowing machine while answering the journalist's questions. "I want to remain chancellor because I want to make sure that our country continues to prosper," said Scholz, who explained that in a second term he would want to "guarantee good pensions, health care and more investment in infrastructure." "How are you physically?" they asked him. "I feel fit," said the chancellor.

The German press has compared the scene to a moment in the popular House of cards. In the Netflix series, Frank Underwood, the fictional American politician played by Kevin Spacey, is often seen working out on the rowing machine in his basement while speaking directly to the viewer. However, Scholz, who has never managed to get out of The image of a boring, taciturn and charisma-less politician, seems a far cry from Underwood, a manipulative, cynical, power-hungry politician who was willing to do anything to obtain it.

Born in 1958 in Osnabrück, Scholz grew up in Hamburg, where he studied law and worked as a lawyer specialising in labour law. An admirer of the Social Democratic Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, he joined the SPD at the age of 17. He was Federal Deputy Chairman of the Socialist Youth, the SPD's youth organisation. Throughout his political career he has been a member of parliament, SPD General Secretary and Mayor of Hamburg (from 2011 to 2018). He also held the positions of Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Minister of Finance and Federal Vice Chancellor under conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel before succeeding her as head of government.

Covid and war in Ukraine

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Scholz, a member of the conservative wing of the SPD, pushed through an unprecedented stimulus and economic aid package and managed to get Germany through the crisis better than neighbouring countries such as Italy and France.

The Social Democrat won the 2021 elections with the image of an economically solid politician and formed a coalition government with the liberals of the FPD and the Greens. In Germany it is called the traffic light coalition because of the colours of the parties that make up it. The so-called "progress coalition" promised Germans to carry out the pending reforms. After 16 years of Merkel's government.

Scholz had only been in office for three months when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, throwing all his plans into disarray. The chancellor, who often takes a long time to make decisions, broke the taboo of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) of supplying weapons to conflict zones. He also freed Germany from its fatal dependence on Russian gas and increased defence spending.

"Olaf Scholz wanted to be the chancellor of progress, of social security, of climate neutrality and, of course, of sound finances. At the end of his term, with a coalition mired in a deep crisis, Scholz is something else: the chancellor of a change of era," says Daniel Brös Ein deutscher Kanzler. Olaf Scholz, der Krieg und die Angst [A German Chancellor. Olaf Scholz, War and Fear],.

Scholz's three years in the chancellery have been marked by the war in Ukraine, the rise of the far right, two years of economic recession and ongoing internal squabbling between the coalition partners. After the German tripartite government broke up in November 2024, Scholz was subjected to a vote of confidence which he lost, leading to early elections.

Image problem

Scholz, a chancellor who has often failed to communicate his policy, has suffered a major image problem. Germans regard him as incompetent (32%), out of touch with reality (30%), uncredible (31%), unreliable (29%) and dishonest (29%). But the outgoing head of government is also perceived by his compatriots as experienced (14%) and patient (16%), according to the same poll.

Although Scholz is a stoic optimist, a Social Democrat victory seemed impossible given the polls. Following his confirmed defeat, Scholz will become the shortest-serving German chancellor in the past five decades.