German Foreign Minister May Run For Chancellor As Ruling Coalition Flounders - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th February, 2023) German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock would run for chancellor if the governing coalition lost voters' confidence over its handling of the conflict in Ukraine, media reported.

A survey published Sunday by Wahlen pollster showed that the three-way coalition of Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz stood to lose its majority in parliament if a Bundestag vote was held this week.

The French weekly Journal du Dimanche reported, citing a diplomatic source, that Scholz's reluctant coalition partner and Greens leader Baerbock would throw her hat in the ring if the Bundestag was dissolved.

Scholz and Baerbock have been increasingly at odds over their perception of the conflict in Ukraine, with Baerbock controversially saying that Europe was at war with Russia and the veteran leftist dismissing the prospect of a direct armed conflict between NATO and Russia.

The Wahlen poll suggests that opposition conservatives would be the strongest party, at 30% of the vote, if a general election happened this week. Scholz's SPD came second with 20%, with the Greens unchanged at 19%. The coalition's junior partner, liberal FDP, would have 5%.

In a personal rating, SPD's defense chief Boris Pistorius would have scored the highest (1.6 points), followed by Economics Minister Robert Habeck of the Green party (0.9), Olaf Scholz (0.7) and Annalena Baerbock (0.6).