Olaf Scholz prefers to govern and does not aspire to the presidency of the party that wins the elections
The next federal chancellor, Olaf Scholz, does not aspire to assume the leadership of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) after the announcement today by Norbert Walter-Borjans, one of the two co-presidents of the party, not to stand for re-election. “It is something that has repeatedly affirmed,” said sources of the winning formation of the last legislative elections in this country. Scholz intends to concentrate on his future work as German chief executive if the current negotiations for the formation of a coalition government with the Greens and the German Liberal Party (FDP) are successfully completed, these sources added. Acting Finance Minister in Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel’s outgoing cabinet, Scholz ran for the SPD leadership in 2019 alongside fellow member Klara Geywitz, but lost in an internal vote among party affiliates, who ultimately elected a two-headed presidency formed by Walter-Borjans and Saskia Esken.
Walter-Borjans, 69, unexpectedly announced on Friday his resignation to stand for reelection at the congress of the German Social Democracy that will take place in December. “From the beginning the presidency has not been linked to a future political career, but rather has had the purpose of directing the path of the party,” says the still Social Democratic leader in statements to the Rheinischen Post. “I have made so much progress in this mission that now I can say that it is time for young people to take over,” adds Walter-Borjans, who has asked the executive of his party in North Rhine-Westphalia not to nominate him for the position again. Until now, his partner in the SPD presidency has not spoken, although Saskia Esken already expressed before the last elections his interest in assuming another term. “For my part, I can say that I still have an agenda to fulfill,” he said this summer in statements to the same newspaper.
Praise and appreciation
Their objective when they assumed the presidency of the Social Democrats two years ago was to lead the party from Merkel’s grand coalition to a constructive opposition, convinced as they were then that the SPD had no chance of winning a general election at that time. The current situation, however, is different and the true architect of the electoral success is Scholz, really the strong man among the Germanic Social Democrats, who does not necessarily have to assume his presidency to continue leading the charge. Walter-Borjans’ announcement was met with praise and thanks by his co-religionists. Together with Esken “he has succeeded in turning the SPD into a team and bringing the party back to success,” said SPD General Secretary Lars Klingbeil on Twitter. “Together we have something very important to resolve: form before the congress a government with the Greens and the FDP and elect Olfa Scholz as federal chancellor to lead Germany to a new beginning.”
Walter-Borjans pointed out that he will leave the party presidency “with the good feeling of having contributed to marking the SPD for two years” and affirmed that “in this time we have shown that we are capable of working together and being successful with a social democratic policy.” . The still president of the SPD did not want to talk about who could succeed him, but he was clearly against the fact that whoever chairs the party is also part of the German government. “A member of the government as president of the party is always necessarily a bit of an executive spokesperson,” said Walter-Borjans, for whom the separation of the SPD presidency and a position in the national executive has proven to be the best option.
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