Germany’s centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) has begun to distance itself from the Angela Merkel era, attacking the chancellor’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), its three-time grand coalition partner, as “politically burned-out”. During an online party conference on Sunday, some 96.5 per cent of SPD delegates backed the centrist Olaf Scholz as their leader candidate. With an eye on Germany’s growing housing crisis, the SPD hopes to lure voters with its proposal for inflation-linked rent control plans and more ambitious plans for new social housing. In their speeches, other SPD officials expressed hope of closing a seven-point gap to the CDU. Without a dramatic about-turn, however, SPD officials admit their most realistic chance of retaining power next September is as junior partner to the Greens.

Source: The Irish Times May 09, 2021 17:43 UTC