In the face of the various crises of the past three years, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has been advocating for a coming together in the political and societal middle ground.
“We will get through this if we don’t take a wrong turn now” Scholz said in the Bundestag on Tuesday, adding that the middle ground must “stay strong.” “Leadership strength, nerve of steel, a clear course – that’s what’s needed in difficult times.”
In doing so, Scholz criticized the CDU’s chancellor candidate, Friedrich Merz, for his impulsiveness in Ukraine policy. Recently, Merz had counted Ukrainian war refugees as part of “irregular migration” the Chancellor said.
“Just in crisis times, it’s about being level-headed, about experience and a clear course” Scholz continued. “Merz, on the other hand, is laying the axe to European cohesion.” “Konrad Adenauer united Europe, Helmut Kohl strengthened Europe, Angela Merkel held Europe together and Friedrich Merz is about to bury Europe. What a treatment of this proud heritage” the SPD politician said, looking at Merz’s recent proposals for further border controls. Germany profits from European cooperation more than any other country, he added.
Scholz also criticized the tone of the CDU’s chief in the debate on migration policy. “Almost a third of us have a migration history – colleagues, classmates, neighbors and friends” he said. “We all belong to Germany – and we must not let the slightest doubt arise.”
The Union wants to grant millionaires a tax break of 34,000 euros per person every year, Scholz said, adding that this is more than a hairdresser earns in a year. The CDU, on the other hand, would “feed” this tax model with a meager 10-euro monthly relief for a hairdresser, he said. Scholz called on Merz to explain to the public how he would pay for these “gifts” to the super-rich.
Furthermore, the Chancellor accused the opposition leader of a “taboo break and word break” after the Union had voted together with the AfD. If it gets too hard for Merz to organize majorities in the middle, he would run to the right-wing extremists, Scholz said. At the federal election, it’s about preventing a coalition of the Union and AfD, he emphasized.