Zürcher Nachrichten - 'Where is Scholz?': Germany's new chancellor under fire

EUR -
AED 4.313975
AFN 80.547545
ALL 97.434934
AMD 449.73046
ANG 2.102303
AOA 1077.171324
ARS 1492.791377
AUD 1.764031
AWG 2.116752
AZN 2.0016
BAM 1.955498
BBD 2.367734
BDT 143.357833
BGN 1.955498
BHD 0.442932
BIF 3495.35953
BMD 1.174668
BND 1.502568
BOB 8.102747
BRL 6.532923
BSD 1.172619
BTN 101.493307
BWP 15.744565
BYN 3.837607
BYR 23023.499991
BZD 2.355536
CAD 1.60865
CDF 3393.617337
CHF 0.934453
CLF 0.028651
CLP 1114.547663
CNY 8.403625
CNH 8.419418
COP 4775.561579
CRC 592.408399
CUC 1.174668
CUP 31.128712
CVE 110.247953
CZK 24.57048
DJF 208.817712
DKK 7.463496
DOP 71.148999
DZD 152.157473
EGP 57.684081
ERN 17.620026
ETB 163.190867
FJD 2.634488
FKP 0.874805
GBP 0.874465
GEL 3.18381
GGP 0.874805
GHS 12.254105
GIP 0.874805
GMD 84.57654
GNF 10176.42647
GTQ 9.000608
GYD 245.342064
HKD 9.220682
HNL 30.706252
HRK 7.537617
HTG 153.886205
HUF 396.850416
IDR 19217.339549
ILS 3.939608
IMP 0.874805
INR 101.616219
IQD 1536.162471
IRR 49468.226083
ISK 142.276286
JEP 0.874805
JMD 187.051077
JOD 0.832886
JPY 173.446879
KES 151.506573
KGS 102.553011
KHR 4697.273684
KMF 491.603168
KPW 1057.221015
KRW 1624.959912
KWD 0.358662
KYD 0.977249
KZT 639.001194
LAK 25279.09122
LBP 105069.953557
LKR 353.815291
LRD 235.113646
LSL 20.812382
LTL 3.468491
LVL 0.710546
LYD 6.330021
MAD 10.545169
MDL 19.72395
MGA 5179.199166
MKD 61.550483
MMK 2465.733848
MNT 4216.363074
MOP 9.481134
MRU 46.800763
MUR 53.342135
MVR 18.094285
MWK 2033.385588
MXN 21.791567
MYR 4.958867
MZN 75.131746
NAD 20.812382
NGN 1799.510154
NIO 43.153327
NOK 11.939518
NPR 162.388891
NZD 1.952022
OMR 0.45153
PAB 1.172619
PEN 4.153358
PGK 4.860248
PHP 67.132737
PKR 332.301418
PLN 4.249143
PYG 8783.641829
QAR 4.274539
RON 5.067641
RSD 117.131888
RUB 93.245282
RWF 1695.037905
SAR 4.407892
SBD 9.732239
SCR 16.61843
SDG 705.392672
SEK 11.182226
SGD 1.503815
SHP 0.923105
SLE 26.959075
SLL 24632.212956
SOS 670.196371
SRD 43.067458
STD 24313.263549
STN 24.496212
SVC 10.260413
SYP 15272.941179
SZL 20.804783
THB 38.024448
TJS 11.198868
TMT 4.123086
TND 3.423471
TOP 2.751195
TRY 47.660213
TTD 7.973767
TWD 34.632517
TZS 3004.935362
UAH 49.031718
UGX 4204.349902
USD 1.174668
UYU 46.972737
UZS 14837.70572
VES 141.281363
VND 30711.704452
VUV 140.295141
WST 3.217414
XAF 655.855588
XAG 0.030777
XAU 0.000352
XCD 3.1746
XCG 2.113373
XDR 0.815674
XOF 655.855588
XPF 119.331742
YER 283.036769
ZAR 20.886665
ZMK 10573.429114
ZMW 27.351771
ZWL 378.242735
  • SCS

    0.0700

    10.58

    +0.66%

  • CMSC

    0.0550

    22.485

    +0.24%

  • NGG

    -0.0800

    72.15

    -0.11%

  • SCU

    0.0000

    12.72

    0%

  • RBGPF

    -1.1200

    73.88

    -1.52%

  • RIO

    -0.7300

    63.1

    -1.16%

  • BCC

    1.7100

    88.14

    +1.94%

  • CMSD

    0.0400

    22.89

    +0.17%

  • BCE

    -0.2300

    24.2

    -0.95%

  • JRI

    -0.0600

    13.09

    -0.46%

  • VOD

    -0.0900

    11.43

    -0.79%

  • RELX

    -0.9800

    52.73

    -1.86%

  • GSK

    -0.2600

    37.97

    -0.68%

  • BP

    0.0700

    32.2

    +0.22%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0400

    13.2

    -0.3%

  • AZN

    -1.0200

    72.66

    -1.4%

  • BTI

    -0.3700

    52.25

    -0.71%

'Where is Scholz?': Germany's new chancellor under fire
'Where is Scholz?': Germany's new chancellor under fire

'Where is Scholz?': Germany's new chancellor under fire

Two months into the job, the honeymoon is already over for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, with critics accusing him of being "invisible" on the Ukraine crisis and the coronavirus pandemic.

Text size:

The hashtag #woistscholz ("Where is Scholz?") is doing the rounds on Twitter, and some say the famously taciturn politician needs to start speaking up.

Scholz was sworn in as chancellor on December 8 after leading his Social Democrats (SPD) to a sensational election win, ending 16 years in power for Angela Merkel's conservatives.

But a Forsa survey this week showed the SPD behind Merkel's CDU-CSU in the polls for the first time since the election -- on 23 percent compared with 27 percent for the conservative bloc, which is now the main opposition party.

Scholz himself, feted for winning the September 26 election with a campaign that played on his calm demeanour and meticulous approach, is also seeing his popularity wane.

In a recent survey by public broadcaster ZDF on Germany's most popular politicians, Scholz found himself lagging behind Merkel -- who has retired from politics -- and Health Minister Karl Lauterbach.

- 'Scholzomat' -

Scholz, who will fly to Washington to meet US President Joe Biden on Monday, has long been known for his understated style.

He was once dubbed "Scholzomat" for his dry, robotic speeches.

Merkel was hardly known for her media presence or rousing speeches, but Scholz "seems to want to surpass her in the art of disappearance", according to Der Spiegel weekly, which accused him of being "almost invisible, inaudible".

"The way the chancellor speaks and communicates seems inappropriate," political scientist Ursula Muench told AFP.

"He is heard and seen very little, and when he does speak, he often does so in riddles and not in a clear and pointed manner as required by the current media world," she said.

Though Scholz makes a habit of thanking journalists for their questions at press conferences, he often avoids answering the questions directly.

The chancellor may be trying to create an impression of "professionalism and seriousness" in a media environment "where everyone speaks and comments on everything", according to Muench.

But if concrete results come too slowly or not at all, his "can-do" image -- so skilfully harnessed during the election campaign -- could be in danger.

"Telling people 'You can rely on me, I am experienced and I know what I am doing' is simply not enough in a pandemic or an international crisis," political scientist Hajo Funke told AFP.

Scholz's communication style leaves "a lot of room for improvement", he believes.

- 'Communication disaster' -

Germany had vaccinated just 75.8 percent of its population against the coronavirus by the end of January, falling short of an 80 percent goal set by Scholz's government.

Compulsory vaccination, first mooted by Scholz last year with a view to implementation by February or March, has still not been voted on in parliament and is looking an increasingly remote prospect.

Meanwhile, numbers of Covid-19 cases have soared to more than 100,000 cases a day, with a shortage of PCR tests adding to the country's woes.

Europe's biggest economy has also come under fire for its role in the Ukraine crisis, with some feeling Berlin is being too soft on Moscow.

Unlike French President Emmanuel Macron, who has had several phone conversations with Vladimir Putin, and Britain's Boris Johnson, who travelled to Kyiv on Tuesday, Scholz has muddled his response with unclear statements and fluctuating positions.

Germany has also been criticised for its refusal to send weapons to Ukraine, though it did suggest sending 5,000 helmets instead -- "a disaster in terms of communication", according to Muench.

The pro-Russian stance of some Social Democrats, including former chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, has also done nothing to ease the problem.

F.Schneider--NZN