BERLIN: Germany's ruling Social Democrats officially made Chancellor Olaf Scholz their lead candidate on Monday for February's election, billing him as a safe pair of hands compared with the opposition conservatives contender who has no government experience. Popular Defence Minister Boris Pistorius ruled himself out of the running last Thursday, putting an end to weeks of speculation over whether he should lead the SPD into the election instead of Scholz.
The party executive committee of the centre-left SPD unanimously voted for Scholz as chancellor candidate, allowing him to run for a second term despite overseeing the collapse of his three-way coalition earlier this month. In his coronation speech, Scholz spelled out the key points for his election campaign: ensuring peace by cautiously supporting Ukraine against Russia's full-scale attack reviving the ailing economy and taming the cost of living crisis. Scholz has an uphill battle ahead of him if he wants to win the election, which is expected to take place on Feb. 23. — Reuters
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