Media reported Scholz's desire to remain in the Bundestag when he resigns as chancellor

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to remain in the Bundestag even if he resigns as chancellor. This was reported by the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) newspaper on February 22.

"This has been clear for a long time," he said at the end of his election campaign in Potsdam.

The newspaper said Scholz is likely to be succeeded as chancellor by Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU). Nevertheless, the Social Democratic Party of Germany's (SPD) candidate for chancellor has a good chance of winning his Potsdam district again, as he did in the last election in 2021.

The publication recalled that former FRG Chancellor (from 1982 to 1998) Helmut Kohl also remained in the Bundestag in 1998 after he was impeached.

Scholz himself has repeatedly emphasized how important a direct mandate is to him.

"The highest office to which one can be elected by direct vote in Germany is that of a member of the German Bundestag," he said in November when he ran for office in Potsdam.

Fiasco according to plan: Olaf Scholz's government faces a vote of no confidence

Germany faces snap elections to the Bundestag

On February 5, media reported on an attempt by the SPD leadership to dissuade Scholz from going to the polls. It was noted that party members had concerns that the SPD would not win early federal elections if Scholz was re-nominated. However, the chancellor insisted on endorsing his candidacy.

A poll conducted on February 2 by the Institute for Public Opinion Research (INSA) showed that in Germany 32% of citizens surveyed support the creation of a coalition of CDU and SPD in the Bundestag after the elections on February 23, 2025.