Robert Habeck to run for Chancellor amid German political shake-up

From Vice Chancellor to Chancellor candidate: Federal Minister of Economic Affairs Robert Habeck will announce his candidacy for Chancellor today, reported "Spiegel" magazine's website, citing sources within the Green Party. ARD television and the "Bild" newspaper also reported the minister's decision, among others.

In the last Bundestag elections in 2021, Habeck stepped aside in favor of Annalena Baerbock, who ran for Chancellor. In July of this year, Baerbock stated in an interview with CNN that she does not plan to run for Chancellor again. Many party members then saw an opportunity for Habeck, but he remained discreet on the matter throughout the summer, "Spiegel" noted.

The magazine observed that the election campaign commenced in Berlin with the collapse of the SPD, Green Party, and FDP coalition. Without the FDP in the coalition, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and the Greens no longer have a majority in parliament. Scholz himself plans a vote of confidence as a precursor to possible early elections in January. The opposition is advocating for an earlier date.

The opposition leader and CDU/CSU Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz once again called on Scholz not to wait until January to initiate the vote of confidence in the Bundestag. "It is important that we now very quickly put responsibility for the composition of the German Bundestag back into the hands of the voters," he said on Friday in Berlin.

Merz believes that next Wednesday, after the Chancellor's scheduled government statement, is the right time for a vote of confidence. "People are waiting for the opportunity to make a new choice quickly," argued the head of CDU/CSU.

So far, only Merz has been officially confirmed as the CDU/CSU Chancellor candidate. FDP leader Christian Lindner announced on Thursday that he would again be available as the main candidate for the liberals. Scholz also wants to lead the SPD's election campaign again, yet he has not been confirmed as the Social Democrats' Chancellor candidate, "Spiegel" highlighted.

The three-party coalition of SPD, Greens, and FDP, which has governed Germany since 2021, collapsed on Wednesday when Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Finance Minister Lindner's resignation from the FDP due to differences in economic and budgetary policies. Earlier, during a meeting of coalition party leaders on Wednesday, Lindner proposed new elections to the Bundestag.