Olaf Scholz: The new chancellor of Germany

Angela Merkel’s conservative party rule of 16 long years came to an end as social democrat Olaf Scholz was formally sworn in as Germany’s new chancellor in the first week of December 8. The vote, which was seen as a mere formality, was held by secret ballot and without debate by the nation’s lower legislative chamber. 395 out of the 707 votes cast went to Scholz, making him the head of government. The now ex-chancellor, Merkel, expressed her good wishes for him as she departed from the political arena. Here is all you need to know about Scholz, his career and political views. 

Who is Olaf Scholz? 
Born on June 14, 1958, Scholz holds a prolific career as a politician. He graduated with a law degree from the University of Hamburg. After this, he went on to work as a lawyer specialising in labour and employment law. He entered politics in the year 1975 by joining Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), and has remained a faithful member to date. Initially, he got involved with the “Jusos” which was SPD’s youth organisation.  Ever since then, he has contributed to German politics in different roles and capacities.  

Political career 
Having spent more than two decades in German politics, Scholz has an impressive and diverse catalogue of political experiences. One of his first roles was being appointed as the Deputy Federal Juso Chairman of the SPD. As his career progressed, he had the opportunity to become a member of the Bundestag, which is one of the two legislative chambers of Germany. This ace politician also became the first mayor of Hamburg in 2011 and consequently, the Minister of Finance in 2018. However, one of his most prominent positions was of serving as the vice chancellor to Angela Merkel. 

Political views 
Scholz has demonstrated his central-left leaning approach in politics, which directly reflects the Social Democratic Party’s long-standing political stance. Being well-versed in economy and finance, he presents mostly centrist methods of reviving the German economy after the coronavirus pandemic. He also emphasised the importance of taking action against climate change and has called for the expansion of renewable energy as a replacement to fossil fuels.