Olaf Scholz has said that he will run to be chancellor again in Germany’s 2025 election despite his party’s poor performance in recent surveys, as a September date was confirmed for the vote.
“I will run as chancellor, to become chancellor again,” Scholz told journalists at his annual summer press conference in Berlin on Wednesday.
The cabinet had earlier signed off September 28, 2025 as the date for the election.
Scholz became chancellor after his centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) won Germany’s last general election in 2021.
The SPD formed a coalition with the Greens and the liberal FDP, but the parties have since clashed over a wide range of issues including climate measures and budget spending.
The war in Ukraine, the ensuing energy crisis and high inflation have also contributed to a general sense of discontent with the government.
All three ruling parties have seen their ratings plummet, with the conservatives now the biggest party and the far-right AfD polling in second place.
The SPD scored its worst ever result in June’s EU elections, with just 14 per cent.
Amid the turmoil, Scholz has also seen his popularity slide within his own party.
