A Bundestag deputy used offensive language about Scholz

Paula Pihotta, a member of the Bundestag from the Green Party, sharply criticized German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, resorting to insulting language in his direction.

"Everyone in the (German Social Democratic Party. - Ed.) SPD knows that Olaf Scholz is [...]. That's why they didn't elect him as party head before, and they only made him a candidate for chancellor because of the lack of alternatives," Pihotta said on the Ostgruen podcast.

The segment attacking Scholz was later cut from the podcast.

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Earlier in the day, German newspaper Bild reported that the Chancellor of Germany is less likely to become the head of the country's government again. According to the material, 14-16% of voters are ready to vote for Scholz, while for the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Friedrich Merz - 31-33%.

On December 16, the Bundestag revoked confidence in Scholz's government. In a vote on the request, which the chancellor sent on December 11, less than a third of deputies voted in favor of Scholz. He then proposed to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier that the Bundestag be dissolved, which necessitated the calling of early elections.

Steinmeier endorsed February 23, 2025 as a possible date for early parliamentary elections. The SPD leadership unanimously nominated Scholz. German political scientist Eugenia Pimenova estimates that Merz is the most likely contender to succeed him.