Germany: Boris Pistorius – potential new leader of Social Democratic Party

Germany’s Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, is being widely regarded as the most likely candidate to take over the leadership of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) following its poor performance in the recent parliamentary elections.

The statement was made by Ralph Niemeyer, head of the German Council for the Constitution and Sovereignty, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

"Boris Pistorius is the 'man of the moment' to 'save' the Social Democrats. Someone now has to take the lead, and I believe he is the most popular Social Democrat in Germany," he said.

Pistorius is expected to retain his position as Defence Minister in the coalition government that will be formed following the elections.

On February 23, Germany held snap parliamentary elections. Germany's conservative CDU/CSU bloc has won the federal election, with CDU leader Friedrich Merz set to become the next Chancellor. Preliminary results show the CDU/CSU secured 28.5% of the vote, while the far-right AfD achieved a historic 20.8%, its best result since its formation in 2013.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz's SPD suffered a significant blow, falling to third place with just 16.4%, marking its worst post-war election result. The Greens, SPD's coalition partners, secured 11.6%, while the hard-left Left Party exceeded the 5% threshold, gaining Bundestag seats.

Despite the AfD's strong showing, Merz's CDU/CSU and other mainstream parties have ruled out collaborating with the far-right under the "firewall" pact. Merz faces complex coalition talks, with the outcome dependent on the number of parties entering parliament. He emphasized the urgency of forming a new government, stating, "The world out there is not waiting for us."

By Aghakazim Guliyev