Latest Olaf Scholz News

Zelenskyy appeals to allies to keep up aid as Germany pledges new weapons package

Oct. 11, 2024 11:43 AM EDT

BERLIN (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday it's important that allies' aid to Ukraine doesn't decrease next year as he received a pledge of a new weapons package from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on a European tour meant to win backing for his “victory plan” aimed at ending the...

Germany's economy is on track to shrink for a second straight year

Oct. 09, 2024 13:20 PM EDT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany's government said Wednesday that its economy, Europe's biggest, is on track to shrink for a second consecutive year — underlining the unpopular administration's troubles as it heads into a difficult election year. The new forecast that gross domestic product...

German leader Scholz's party moves fast to replace an official in a key campaign post

Oct. 08, 2024 09:48 AM EDT

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's party moved quickly to replace a top official who stepped down less than a year ahead of a challenging national election, presenting a well-connected left-wing lawmaker on Tuesday as his replacement in a post that is important for the campaign. ...

A top official with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's party quits, a year before the national election

Oct. 07, 2024 08:36 AM EDT

BERLIN (AP) — A top official with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's party announced his resignation on Monday, citing health problems, a year before an election in which the center-left Social Democrats face an uphill struggle, Kevin Kühnert, 35, has been the Social Democrats'...

The leaders of Germany's Greens are quitting after several election defeats

Sep. 25, 2024 06:13 AM EDT

BERLIN (AP) — The leaders of Germany's Greens, one of three parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz's troubled coalition government, announced Wednesday that they will step down after the latest in a string of disappointing election results. The environmentalist party's support declined...

German police will increase the number of bodyguards for leading politicians

Sep. 24, 2024 04:29 AM EDT

BERLIN (AP) — A German police office that provides security for leading politicians says it plans to increase the number of bodyguards significantly over the coming years, citing growing dangers at home and abroad as the next national election nears. The head of the Federal...

Scholz's party dismisses questions about German leader's election candidacy

Sep. 23, 2024 07:59 AM EDT

BERLIN (AP) — The leadership of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's party on Monday sought to squash questions about his candidacy in next year's national election after narrowly beating the far right in a regional vote. Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats beat the far-right Alternative...

Scholz's Social Democrats hold back the far right in German state vote

Sep. 22, 2024 17:54 PM EDT

POTSDAM, Germany (AP) — The Social Democrats of Chancellor Olaf Scholz won an election in the eastern German state of Brandenburg on Sunday, gaining a narrow edge over a growing far-right party, according to the vote count. The vote took place three weeks after the far right made gains in two...

German opposition Christian Democrats tap leader Friedrich Merz as their candidate for chancellor

Sep. 17, 2024 07:40 AM EDT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany's opposition center-right Christian Democratic Union announced Tuesday that it has chosen its leader, Friedrich Merz, to be its candidate for chancellor in next year's national election. The decision sets the stage for a possible challenge of Chancellor Olaf...

Germany signs agreement with Kenya to bring in skilled workers and plug labor market gaps

Sep. 13, 2024 12:24 PM EDT

BERLIN (AP) — German and Kenyan officials signed an agreement Friday in Berlin to promote the recruitment of skilled workers who can fill gaps in Germany's labor market, and to facilitate the repatriation of Kenyans who don't have the right to stay in Germany. The agreement was...