German Chancellor Olaf Scholz applauded his government’s work one year after its inauguration, although his Social Democratic Party (SPD) has plummeted in the polls.
In his weekly video message published during the weekend, Scholz took stock of what Germany’s three-party government achieved during its first year in office.
“We have laid the foundation for our economy to remain stable and for our citizens, our country, to make it through this crisis together,” he said, citing the massive €200 billion aid package his government launched to protect businesses and families from rising cost-of-living and energy prices.
In his video message, Scholz also said that his government had “not neglected the tasks that need to be done to ensure societal cohesion”, like raising pensions and the minimum wage even though this year’s “defining” moment had been Russia’s war in Ukraine.
But recent polls point to a drop in trust since Scholz’s three-way coalition with the Greens and the business-friendly FDP took office a year ago.
If elections were held today, 41% of those surveyed said they would vote for one of the three governing parties – a drop compared to the 53% they received in last year’s election.
Polls also point to a drop in support for Scholz’s SPD, from almost 26% in last year’s election to the current 18%. Scholz’s smallest coalition partner FDP is currently polling at 5% – just enough to have seats in parliament.
At the same time, support for the largest opposition in parliament, the CDU-CSU Union, has grown to 30% compared to the 24% the group got in the election.
(Julia Dahm | EURACTIV.de)
Source: euractiv.com
