According to polls, Scholz would be third if an election was held right now.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is now at his lowest approval score since December when he was elected. Only 25% of the public is satisfied with the job he’s doing, a survey published by Bild on Sunday reveals.
“It’s not working” for both Scholz and the ‘traffic light’ coalition government, the tabloid said as it shared the results of the poll, conducted by Germany’s INSA research institute.
A mere 25% of those surveyed approve of the chancellor’s job, with 62% expressing disapproval.
Scholz with only 18% would be third in an election held now.
The poll results show that Economy Minister Robert Habeck from the Green Party, and Friedrich Merz (who heads the opposition Christian Democratic Union, or CDU), are more popular than ever. They’re supported by 25% and 13%, respectively.
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The numbers for the ‘traffic light’ coalition, which unites the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Free Democratic Party (FDP), and the Greens, were as bad as those for Scholz. While only 27% of respondents said that they were satisfied with the government, 65% indicated that they disagree.
Scholz’s ratings have been on a steady decline since becoming chancellor eight months ago, Bild said. In March, when the conflict in Ukraine – in which Berlin sided with Kiev, supplying it with arms and slapping harsh sanctions on Moscow – had just started, he was backed by 46%, but in April, the number dropped to 38%.
The economic problems created by the Covid-19 pandemic were further compounded by Western sanctions on Moscow, and subsequent reduction in Russian gas supplies to Europe.
Despite being Europe’s top economy, Germany has been hit hard by soaring gas prices as it faces the risk of energy shortages this winter. On Sunday, the head of the German central bank warned that “an inflation rate of even 10% is possible in the autumn months,”This is something that hasn’t been done in this country for over 70 years.
