Olaf Scholz gave a big press conference on Thursday morning. Afterwards, the press stated that he performed “sovereignly” in a difficult situation. But for a moment he lost his composure, they say.
This is how the press judged the appearance of Chancellor Olaf Scholz:
“Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”: Olaf Scholz has now promised further relief for low earners and the unemployed in the autumn, but also wants to help the middle of society with tax breaks, such as the FDP Finance Minister Christian Lindner has in mind. “No one will be left alone” is the promise made by the Federal Chancellor in Berlin, by which he now has to be measured. That is quite daring, especially since the calls for relief from companies are getting louder and louder – and the budget of the federal budget is to be capped again by the debt brake from next year. Scholz’s traffic light coalition is yet to face the biggest stress test in winter.
“Pforzheimer Zeitung”: It is Olaf Scholz’s first year in the Stahlbad Federal Chancellery and his first summer press conference. Despite the burden of the problems, the chancellor acts and governs with sovereignty. The traffic light government led by Scholz has been deciding on the fate, course and line of the country for nine months now. But the progressive coalition, when the SPD, Greens and FDP took office, is showing the first signal problems with citizen income, the debt brake, relieving the burden on citizens, and also in the debate about longer nuclear lifetimes or arms support for Ukraine. That’s right, a coalition is not a unification party conference. Above all, Scholz would like to show that the traffic light is good for longer than just one legislative period. Also for his re-election.
“Stuttgarter Zeitung”: After all, Scholz has reached a milestone with a confident performance. If only there wasn’t a dark cloud that has been moving with him for a long time. The cum-ex affair is by no means over, and nobody can predict which stories are still hidden behind the discovery of 200,000 euros in the locker of Hamburg’s former member of the Bundestag Johannes Kahrs. It is no coincidence that it was only at this point that the otherwise self-confident Chancellor lost his composure for a moment.
“Freie Presse” (Chemnitz): After all, Scholz has reached a milestone with a quite confident performance. If there wasn’t a dark cloud. The “Cum-ex” affair is by no means over yet. It is no coincidence that it was only at this point that the otherwise self-confident Chancellor lost his composure for a moment. If the matter continues to grow, the “You’ll never walk alone” would still apply to many, but certainly no longer to Scholz.
“Südwest-Presse” (Ulm): Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) was Christian Lindner’s (FDP) predecessor as Finance Minister for four years, and he knows very well that he needs the Chancellor’s unconditional support. In this respect, nobody should be surprised that in his first big appearance after the summer break, Scholz jumped to Lindner’s side with two major traffic light issues. That should be difficult to digest, especially for his SPD. Scholz is likely to enter into the conflict in order to save the traffic light over the winter. No one can want the alliance to break up – a government crisis would be irresponsible in the midst of an energy and health crisis.
“Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung” (Heidelberg): Scholz is doing really well in view of the war in Ukraine, the enormous rate of inflation and the energy crisis. And it is not only because he has to maintain coalition discipline that he is wished that his traffic light alliance will not fail either in the fight against cold progression or in a possible extension of the nuclear power plant runtimes. Both of these things wouldn’t be worth it. The situation is too serious for that – and there is no viable alternative in sight. Nevertheless, it could happen that the time of the twilight of the chancellor will soon dawn.
The cum-ex scandal has what it takes to unleash a serious government crisis. Not nice, given the challenges. But Scholzen’s tight-lipped reaction to a journalist’s brash question about “stolen money” indicates that the entire complex, in which not only the profiteer, the Hamburg Warburg Bank, but also leading Hanseatic SPD politicians could be involved; that this scandal falls on Scholz’s chancellor’s feet.
“Mitteldeutsche Zeitung” (Halle): The high food prices are already making many people in need. What all citizens want to know from Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is how things will continue in terms of relief. But when asked about it, the chancellor behaves like a writer who only wants someone to read his book when it’s finally finished.
The Chancellor’s reluctance can also be explained by the fact that he has to unite three very different parties on one line. Support for the poor and low earners is important to the SPD and the Greens. FDP leader Christian Lindner is pushing for relief for the middle class. Both will be necessary. Only: all wishes together are difficult to finance – especially as long as Lindner insists on the debt brake as well as on the no to tax increases.
“Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”: No excess profit tax, no increase in the top tax rate, the debt brake applies – Scholz calmed tempers in the coalition by stating that what was necessary could be financed. But what is the need? Scholz emphasized the “joint effort of the entire coalition”, which will decide on further relief beyond the relief that has already been decided. So the SPD and the Greens will still get their money’s worth in the forthcoming new relief package – it would now be the third.
The “community achievement” also includes the fact that it obviously cannot be done without strong side blows to the FDP. In this ongoing coalition conflict, the Federal Chancellor presented himself to the federal press conference as a mixture of cheerleader, moderator and referee. (…)
