Germany’s Parliament will officially elect Olaf Scholz today as the country’s next Chancellor, bringing the curtain down on Angela Merkel’s 16-year reign. Mr. Scholz led his Social Democrats to victory against Ms. Merkel’s conservative CDU-CSU bloc in September, as the veteran chancellor prepared to leave politics after four consecutive terms in office.
When Olaf Scholz takes his oath of office today as Germany’s ninth post-war chancellor, there will be no motorcade bearing him to the Bundestag with flag-waving jubilant crowds cheering him on, nor a famous local singer belting out the national anthem. It will be a matter-of-fact affair.
Mr. Scholz spoke to media yesterday declaring an ambition to push forward the biggest industrial modernisation which will be capable of stopping climate change.
Putting equality rhetoric into practice, he unveiled the country’s first gender-balanced Cabinet on Monday, with women in key security portfolios. Half of the power belongs to women, said Mr. Scholz, who calls himself a feminist.
Mr. Scholz has also spoken out in favour of mandatory vaccination, saying he wanted MPs to vote on the issue before year’s end with a view of implementing it in February.
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