Trench warfare in the SPD

Scholz: Will run for chancellor in the election

Chancellor question: Olaf Scholz calls on his SPD to be united.(Bild: AFP)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has confirmed that he intends to run with the SPD in the early Bundestag elections. "Yes, that's right," Scholz said on Tuesday when asked whether he would be the candidate for chancellor. "The SPD and I are going into this election to win it," he added. 

He sees support from the SPD leadership, Scholz said in Rio de Janeiro on the sidelines of the G20 summit in an interview with the broadcaster ProSieben. 

Voices for Pistorius are getting louder
In recent days, there have been numerous voices within the SPD that have spoken out in favor of Defense Minister Boris Pistorius as the SPD candidate for chancellor.

The SPD leadership is currently discussing the organization of the early federal elections.

Meanwhile, Pistorius does not see his popularity ratings as a commitment to his own party. When asked about this, he told the newspapers of the Bavarian media group: "No. I am pleased that my work is being honored. And at the same time, the question of whether a party draws this or that conclusion from it is a completely different one."

When asked whether he believed that Scholz would remain in the race to be the next candidate for chancellor, Pistorius answered "yes". But would he be ready if that did not remain the case? "I generally don't answer hypothetical questions, because an answer I give today could be invalid the day after tomorrow," said Pistorius.