The German Social Democratic Party (SPD) today approved Olaf Scholz's candidacy for the party's chancellor for the parliamentary elections on February 23, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
Only a few delegates opposed Scholz's candidacy, which was overwhelmingly supported for a new term, during the party congress in Berlin.
Scholz was nominated as the SPD's candidate for chancellor after a heated debate by the party's executive body back in November.
Before that, the party held a public discussion for two weeks on whether the much more popular Defense Minister Boris Pistorius should not be the candidate for chancellor.
After the defeat of SPD in the European elections last June, Scholz's party suffered another heavy blow with the collapse of Germany's ruling triple coalition in November, DPA notes.
Unlike the first time he was elected as a candidate for chancellor in 2021, Scholz did not have to stand in a secret ballot this time.
The party leadership justified this by the fact that Scholz is now running as chancellor, not as a contender. Therefore, in such cases, decisions are made by acclamation - confirming support by raising a hand or standing up.
In 2021, 96.2 percent of delegates voted in favor of Scholz in a secret online ballot during the COVID-19 pandemic.