Scholz's party rejects questions about the German head of government's election candidacy

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Olaf Scholz's party executive sought Monday to dispel doubts about his candidacy in next year's federal election after he narrowly defeated the far right in a state election.

Scholz's centre-left Social Democrats won against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AFD) in the eastern state of Brandenburg on Sunday, riding on the popularity of state premier Dietmar Woidke, who had been trailing in the polls and had vowed to resign if his party did not come first.

Woidke left Scholz and the unpopular federal government out of his election campaign, while the other two parties in Scholz's coalition achieved extremely poor results in Berlin.

The co-chairman of the Social Democrats, Lars Klingbeil, expressed confidence in the outcome of the federal elections next September, even though the party had disappointing results in the European elections in June and in two state elections in eastern Germany on September 1 and is also doing poorly in nationwide polls.

“As party leader, I want to win the federal election – there are still 12 months to go and we will fight together,” said Klingbeil at a press conference. “Yesterday's election gives us courage that we can do it, but of course I also know that the challenges and questions that we have to deal with at the national level are far from over with yesterday evening.”

Scholz has announced that he is seeking a second term. Some party members at lower levels have repeatedly questioned this and the Social Democrats have not yet made it official, but Klingbeil reiterated the message that his candidacy is not in question.

“There is absolutely no wavering,” he said. “There is no discussion about it at any point in the party leadership, in the parliamentary group, among the prime ministers and ministers.”

The center-right bloc of the Union, which is leading in the nationwide polls, has already named Friedrich Merz as its candidate for chancellor for the federal election.