Chancellor Olaf Scholz positioned the Social Democratic Party as the only one for the people, fiercely criticizing the CDU, which is currently leading the polls.
ADVERTISEMENTThe German Social Democratic Party (SPD) held a so-called ‘election victory conference’ in Berlin on Saturday, ahead of the extraordinary elections that should be held next year.
SPD members were met at the party’s headquarters by protesters who demanded an immediate ban on the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Inside, party leaders Saskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil gave strong speeches, pledging a party for workers that also supports policies for the people.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the opposition Christian Democrats (CDU) under their chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz are far removed from the CDU under former Chancellor Angela Merkel, who led Germany for 16 years. Scholz added that the CDU had moved away from its social values ​​and warned about their conservative policies, including pensions.
Both Scholz and Esken criticized the liberal FDP and former finance minister Christian Lindner for “deliberately” sabotaging the coalition, after it emerged this week that the FDP had been planning to leave the government in time for the US election.
And while the mood at the conference was upbeat, with members applauding every few sentences during the speech, the SPD is currently in third place, according to the latest polls in Germany, behind the CDU and the AfD.
Scholz said the SPD, if re-elected, would push for changes including affordable housing and seek to save jobs as several German giants, including Volkswagen and ThyssenKrupp, announced massive job cuts amid the economic crisis.
The chancellor also distanced himself from Brussels, promising to prevent German companies from being fined by the EU from next year if they do not meet emission standards.
He also called for the negation of tariffs with China.
Despite the party’s social media team coming under fire for its aggressive campaign, the party now appears to be on the offensive in a bid to retain votes. With the rest of Europe swinging to the right, and the conservative and far-right parties CDU and AfD overtaking the SPD, social democratic parties are becoming increasingly isolated in Europe.
