Germany's Habeck to declare chancellorship bid as Scholz faces heat

Germany's Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck is set to announce his bid for the chancellorship on Friday, as Chancellor Olaf Scholz faces growing criticism over his handling of the political crisis triggered by the collapse of his coalition and disputes over government spending.

Main opposition leader Friedrich Merz criticised Scholz as "irresponsible" for delaying early elections, as an opinion poll also showed voters in favour of an early vote to pull the country out of political crisis.

Europe's largest economy was thrown into disarray this week with the collapse of Scholz's three-way coalition and disagreements over how much money the government should spend to spur growth and support Ukraine.

As parties positioned themselves, Habeck of the Greens Party is set to fire the starting pistol on his own bid to become chancellor, according to media reports.

Habeck will announce his intention to run as chancellor on behalf of the Greens Party on Friday, the Spiegel news outlet reported, citing party sources.

Habeck, 55, a former novelist and philosopher, has been a central figure in Germany's energy and climate policy as economy and climate protection minister.

Habeck returned to social media platform X on Thursday after a five-year break and posted a short video in which he was seen wearing a bracelet on which the words "Chancellor Era" are written, prompting speculation he would announce his bid soon.

Criticism on support for Israel

Political analyst Torsten Menge has previously criticised Habeck and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock for their approach to the Middle East, stating, "If Baerbock and Habeck demand a written assurance from Israel that it will not use German weapons for genocide, then they are implying that Israel may be committing genocide."

Habeck's Greens Party, which is part of Scholz's ruling coalition, had blocked the export of weapons of war to Israel in the past months, fearing that deliveries may constitute violations of international law.

However, the Greens dropped their opposition after the government received “written assurances” from Israel that it would not use German weapons in a “genocide.”

Domestic and international critics alike argue that Germany’s unwavering support for Prime Minister Netanyahu’s far-right government is damaging its credibility and further isolating Berlin on the global stage.

Coalition collapses

Germany was thrown into disarray this week with the collapse of Scholz's three-way coalition and disagreements over how much money the government should spend to spur growth and support Ukraine.

After months of bitter infighting, the three-way coalition between Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP) broke apart on November 6, 2024 night.

In a shock power move, Scholz sacked his troublesome finance minister Christian Lindner, forcing the FDP out of the coalition and leaving the SPD and the Greens ruling in a precarious minority government.

The coalition's collapse comes at a tough time for Germany as its economy faces a second year of contraction, its companies fear a loss of competitiveness, while foreign policy challenges mount, from the re-election of Donald Trump to a tariff war with China.

Scholz has suggested holding a confidence vote in his government in January, paving the way for snap elections in March, but Merz wants elections to be held in January.

Along with "the vast majority of the German electorate, I believe it is irresponsible to handle this ... in such a way that it becomes a mere delay, with party-political motives obviously taking centre stage," said Merz, the leader of the Christian Democrats (CDU).

According to one opinion poll, the ZDF Politbarometer, a majority of Germans also want an election as soon as possible. Some 84 percent think an earlier election is a good idea, while 13 percent do not, it said on Friday.

In the survey, which is based on data from the research group Wahlen, 30 percent want a new election in March, while 54 percent want an earlier date. Only 12 percent want the election to take place on the original date of September 2025.