He knew that it would not be easy to take over from Angela Merkel, but here… He can hardly do worse. Since taking office on December 8, we have heard and seen little of him. Unlike a chancellor whose discretion was perceived as a guarantee of seriousness, Germans preferred to know her at work rather than in the media, public opinion develops mistrust towards Olaf Scholz.
#WoIstOlaf (#Whereestolaf?) is by the way one of the most popular keywords on Twitter in Germany (not only picked up by the opposition), with a string of very funny – and very bitter – illustrations.
Deutschland fragt sich: Wo ist @Olafscholz? In der Ukraine-Krise abgetaucht, das Impfziel meilenweit verfehlt, bis heute nichts zur Bekämpfung der explodierenden Preise vorgelegt. #woIstScholz pic.twitter.com/9iI1Ra44jn
— Markus Blume (@MarkusBlume) February 2, 2022
Der Spiegel described last week a head of government “inaudible” and “almost invisible”. It “seems to want to surpass [Angela Merkel] in the art of disappearance”, summarizes the weekly, dyears of his management of the health crisis but also on the Ukrainian issue.
The mandatory vaccination he supports, supposed to come into force in February or March, has still not been voted and now seems uncertain, while more than 100,000 Covid-19 infections are recorded every day and the country is affected by a shortage of PCR tests.
In terms of international relations, which have never been his priority and which he hardly mentioned during the campaign, Olaf Scholz is accused of showing too much complacency towards Moscow and too little commitment to Kiev. In particular, he attracted a lot of sarcasm by sending the Ukrainian military 5,000 helmets rather than weapons. The operation turned out to be a disaster in terms of communication, although this posture of not providing lethal weapons has been a constant of the German government for several years.
This week, he’s trying to step up a gear to play his score too in the current diplomatic ballet around Russia : monday, February 7, visit to the White House, the next evening, reception in Berlin of Emmanuel Macron and Polish President Duda, and next week (finally) a short tour to Moscow and Kiev. Olaf Scholz tries to regain control.
Yet what the grieving spirits will take away from his trip across the Atlantic is not his press conference, nor his CNN interview, but… her look.
Olaf Scholz on the plane that brings him to the United States talks with journalists. 1st meeting with Biden who a few weeks ago would have been more relaxed #Ukraine https://t.co/trikaixdI5
— Pascal Thibaut (@pthibaut) February 7, 2022
On the plane that took him to Washington the chancellor indeed appeared wearing a simple heather gray sweater over a black T-shirt. “And tomorrow he’s going to put on slippers?” Cit is not like that, netizens say, that he will restore Germany’s credibility.
In the face of Joe Biden, the social Democratic chancellor mostly lacked clarity and firmness about Nord Stream 2, whose name he did not even pronounce. Asked three times what would happen to the gas pipeline in the event of aggression by Russia against Ukraine, he systematically kicked into touch, simply saying that an attack “would cost a lot”. Lthe US President, on the other hand, wants to close this strategic gas pipeline that connects Russia directly to Germany. The pipeline is already built but not yet in operation. He repeated it quite firmly. In the face of a visibly embarrassed Olaf Scholz with the curves.
Everyone can be absolutely sure that Germany stands side by side with its allies and especially the United States when it comes to Russia and the Ukraine. We are prepared to take all necessary steps together. There is no disagreement in this situation. https://t.co/KMsOxCcmuf
– Olaf Scholz (@OlafScholz) February 8, 2022
However, the two men assured that this difference in tone did not reflect any dissonance on the merits. “We are acting together, we are totally united and we will take the same measures” against Russia if it ever attacked, Olaf Scholz said. Ajousting that it was not necessary”not put on the table” immediately all possible retaliatory measures. Enough to irritate the Americans – when he already had to be asked to consider this option.
At the end of January, the German ambassador to the United States had even sent a telegram to Berlin alerting about “the serious discredit” from which suffers his country in the press and in the US Congress. Germany is too often seen as a “unreliable partner”, the diplomat wrote, especially by Republicans who accuse her of “sleeping with Putin” to protect its gas supplies.
“The “You can count on me, I’m experienced and I know what I’m doing” style is certainly not enough in the pandemic and in the international crisis”, explains to AFP the political scientist Hajo Funke, for whom the communication of Mr Scholz has a “big room for progress”. His popularity rating also fell from 60% at the beginning of January to 43%, the biggest drop for a chancellor in post-war history.
His party, the SPD (24%) is now ahead in several polls by the conservatives of the CDU-CSU (between 25 and 27%), yet worn out by 16 years in power and relegated to the opposition. “The automaton” – that’s his nickname -, will have to make a lot of efforts to gain stature on the international and domestic scene.