Top Faction in German Chancellor Scholz’s Party Plots to Replace Him Before Election Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images

An open revolt has broken out in Berlin against Chancellor Olaf Scholz, with members of his own left-wing Social Democratic Party (SPD) pushing for him to be replaced as their lead candidate in the upcoming elections.

While Scholz attended the G20 summit in Brazil, political knives were unsheathed at home, with the heads of the SPD’s North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) state group in the Bundestag openly advocating for the party to drop their embattled leader as chancellor candidate in favour of Defence Minister Boris Pistorius. Meanwhile, the opposition Christian Democrats say it doesn’t matter who leads the left-wing party into the election, both are equally tainted in the eyes of voters by the failures of the outgoing government.

In a joint statement, NRW leaders Dirk Wiese, who represents the right wing of the state party and Wiebke Esda, who stands on the left, said: “The focus is on the question of what the best political line-up is now for this federal election. We hear a lot of encouragement for Boris Pistorius.”

The move from the NRW, the largest state group faction in the German parliament, has been described by leading tabloid BILD as a “coup” against the chancellor while broadcaster NTV predicted that the “damage to incumbent Olaf Scholz can hardly be repaired” following the open defection from within his own party.

NRW deputy Helge Lindh remarked: “This authentically reflects the situation, the mood and the analysis that many of us are currently encountering on site at the grassroots.”

“This is of course bitter for Olaf. We owe him a lot. But he has to see it. It’s bitter, it’s brutal. But that’s how it is.”

The rebellion against Scholz comes just two weeks after he expelled the neo-liberal Free Democrats (FDP) from his “traffic light” coalition government over a disagreement on the federal budget, with the FDP calling for free market-oriented reforms such as slashing corporate taxes, cutting government spending, and rolling back the green agenda in order to spur economic growth.

The move by the chancellor to blow up his own government suggested that he had confidence in his own position to lead an election campaign, however, this appears to have been foolhardy.

As opposed to Scholz, his Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, has remained relatively popular in the country during the ruinous reign of the progressive coalition government. While avoiding much of the blame for the government’s failed economic, energy, and migration policies, Pistorius has won plaudits for his efforts to revamp the German military after decades of mismanagement and neglect.

According to the latest Forsa politician tracker, Pistorius ranked above all others in terms of who the country would be “in good hands” at 57 per cent. In contrast, just 30 per cent believe the same of Chancellor Scholz, who currently ranks 11th on the list of active politicians.

Even though Pistorius has an edge in personal popularity, it may not be enough to save the SPD from being kicked out of power, regardless, with the leftist party languishing in third place at just 15 per cent support, trailing the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany at 18 per cent and the centre-right Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union in Bavaria at 33 per cent.

The Christian Democrats have also moved to step up their campaigning against Pistorius personally, clearly anticipating a Biden-Harris situation where the defence minister becomes their main opponent before polling day. Die Welt published an interview Thursday with a senior CDU strategist who said in terms of messaging to the public, Pistorius is as culpable for the failures of this outgoing government as his boss, and will be so tainted in the eyes of voters.

He told the paper that Pistorius was essentially a more of the same candidate, and that: “There is currently a brutal power struggle going on in the SPD. No matter who emerges as the winner: Germany needs a change in policy, and neither Olaf Scholz nor Boris Pistorius embody that. Scholz represents the bankruptcy of the traffic light coalition. As his minister, Pistorius shared responsibility for this policy in the cabinet for two long years.”

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