This is what Germans think about their advisor

This is what Germans think about their advisor

AP

  • Charlotte Wiggers

    Germany reporter

  • Charlotte Wiggers

    Germany reporter

Is he wise, cautious, slow, or arrogant? Although many Germans still find it difficult to recognize their chancellor a year after the election, his image is increasingly tilting in his favour.

Thanks in part to his dry conservatism, which means he didn’t say much wrong during the campaign, Olaf Schulz narrowly won with his party. He made a small mistake, and it seemed the safest option, the least change after 16 years of Merkel’s existence.

But the problems in Germany have been piling up since the war in Ukraine. The government faces tough choices about arms supplies, sanctions, and high energy bills. The way the Federal Chancellor specifically communicates is often poor, not least with journalists.

Male Merkel

“He wanted the man to be Merkel,” says Lars Haider. “But then the war came and he became restless.” The journalist has been following Schulze for ten years, met him more than 150 times and wrote an autobiography about him. “This was a Scholz we didn’t know yet. He wasn’t sure what to do. What happens if I deliver weapons to Ukraine now?”

This hesitation was not for nothing. “We now know that Schulz was worried that Putin might attack Germany or NATO. And that he didn’t want to go down in history as the chancellor who negligently provoked the war.”

Reuters

Olaf Scholz in conversation with German citizens in Essen.

At the same time, he is convinced of himself. “He knows everything. He usually already knows the most. The question is: Does he listen to others?” Said Haider. His impression: “generally not”.

It doesn’t help that he gets so angry when he doesn’t like reporters’ questions. A well-known example is the press conference held after the G7 summit chaired by the German chancellor last June.

A journalist asked Schulz if he could say concretely what Ukraine’s security promises entail. He replied, “Yes.” “I can.” And after a long silence and giggling, “That was it.”

robot politician

Tina Hassell thinks this sounds arrogant and rude. As the parliamentary editor-in-chief of the German public broadcaster ARD, she regularly gives key interviews to the German chancellor. “Is this the respect you talked about so often during the election campaign?” I gave it to him earlier.

“When I talk about respect, I mean hard-working janitors and factory workers,” Schulz said. “Besides, this was the third time I actually got that question,” he says. Dry answers to frequently asked questions: earned him the nickname “Scholz-o-mat,” the robotic politician.

“He says he doesn’t need hobbies to relax because he doesn’t get stressed. He’s always calm and in control,” Haider says. But this also has a downside. “That sounds a little psychedelic. But he thinks the counselor shouldn’t show his feelings. I’m the counsellor, not a circus director, he once said.”

Reuters

Robert Habeck and Olaf Schulze.

Not satisfied

Now that the government has had to convince residents to save a lot of energy due to the energy crisis, Habeck is also not afraid to offer saving tips. When Schulze is asked next in an interview if he has any advice, his answer is short: “No.”

Hamburger Haider thinks this is also his sense of humor in Hamburg. “But I can imagine they don’t understand that in the rest of Germany and the world.”

Hassell sees a big difference between the chancellor’s view of inside and outside government. “The ruling parties themselves say: the chancellor is leading, but in the background. Only this is not seen as such.”

However, Schultz’s opinion has fallen in the polls. While before the war a majority still believed he was doing his job well, a recent poll showed that 62 percent of Germans were dissatisfied with the chancellor.

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