Scholz Leaves Germans With Worst Economic Blues in a Generation
- Country’s return to ‘sick man of Europe’ status vexes voters
- Chancellor risks unprecedented loss in Feb. 23 election
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Olaf Scholz is heading for the worst election defeat of any German chancellor, and his poor economic track record is one major reason.
If polls are correct about the drop off from Scholz’s 2021 victory – and the numbers have barely moved during the three-month campaign – then his Social Democrats will face a bigger loss than under any German leader since the Federal Republic was set up in 1949. The projected outcome of about 15% of the vote would also be the lowest for any incumbent.