“I’m running as a candidate for the Greens – for the people of Germany,” Habeck said in a video on Friday. “If you want, even as chancellor. But that’s not mine, that’s your decision. Only you can decide that.”
It had already become public in the morning that the Vice Chancellor would officially declare his candidacy on Friday. The ex-party leader of the Greens would like to be nominated at the party conference in Wiesbaden next week. There are no promising opposing candidates. The candidacy had been an open secret for months.
Since the day before, Habeck has been present again on social media as a party politician. Most recently he appeared there as Minister of Economic Affairs, with accounts maintained by house employees. He is not allowed to use these state resources for the election campaign for the Greens.
“It’s time for something to happen”
In another post, Habeck can be seen editing a text manuscript. In the background there is a calendar on which November 8th, today’s Friday, is outlined in red. He also hums the melody of Herbert Grönemeyer’s hit “Time for something to turn around”. The post is titled “Different from here on” – the title of a book by Habeck.
Grönemeyer immediately banned the Greens from using his hit for the election campaign – like the CDU beforehand. The party has been asked to “refrain from using songs by Herbert Grönemeyer and specifically the song ‘Time for something to turn’ for election campaign purposes in the future,” Grönemeyer’s media lawyer Christian Schertz told the dpa news agency. His client has a clear stance on this and “fundamentally does not want his person or his songs to be used by political parties for any kind of election advertising, especially without his consent.”
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The CDU also recently got into trouble with the song that Habeck chose. The occasion: At the end of October, the youth organization Junge Union (JU) had the Grönemeyer song played at their meeting in Halle in Saxony-Anhalt while the Union’s candidate for chancellor Friedrich Merz was entering the hall – the following was introduced: “Welcome him with me next Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany”. Grönemeyer then banned the use of his hit.
Habeck should collect points for the Greens, especially beyond the core electorate. The Lübeck native is considered a pragmatist who is less left-wing than large parts of the party. As Vice Chancellor, he helped negotiate compromises that were offended by the left wing of his party – such as tightening migration policy. As a candidate, Habeck cannot go too far with the distinction from his own party, with which he has repeatedly flirted – after all, voters still tick one party.
His internal critics also know that Habeck is one of the party’s driving forces, albeit a somewhat damaged one after several years as minister (keyword: heating law). In the speech duel with Merz and SPD top man Olaf Scholz (SPD), he is likely to score points with his charisma. However, Habeck’s love of spontaneous speech carries risks: he hits the wrong note or gets the facts wrong.
The personality has been an open secret for a long time. In July, Habeck’s only serious competitor, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, declared that she did not want to pursue a candidacy for chancellor. At the end of September she said in the ARD “Report from Berlin”: “Robert Habeck is the one who is leading us into the federal election campaign.”
The relationship between Baerbock and Habeck is not untroubled after she defeated Habeck as the Greens’ candidate for chancellor in 2021. In the upcoming new federal election campaign, both want to pull together.
Opportunities limited
However, Habeck’s chances of actually moving into the Chancellery are limited. In polls, his party is currently at a measly 9 to 11 percent. At this point, the Greens like to point to the SPD’s poll numbers, which are only a few percentage points better, and are also sending a candidate for chancellor into the race.
Habeck is dragging along the poor economic situation in Germany like a burden on his leg. He himself explains the situation, among other things, with the loss of Russian energy imports as a result of the war of aggression against Ukraine and the delay in reforms by the previous governments. But as economics minister, he will hardly be able to shake off the issue.
Habeck outlined how he imagines the federal election campaign at the end of August at a campaign appearance in Saxony, where his party suffered heavy losses a few days later and managed to get back into the state parliament with a lot of trouble. Habeck believes in the possibility of a change in mood for the better. “And there just has to come some crystallization point where we prove to ourselves that we are much, much better in Germany than the mood and the surveys show at the moment. If that happens, then anything can really happen,” he said at the time .
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Pen in this election campaign,” he said, emphasizing the importance of optimism and presenting a positive vision for the future.
As Germany faces uncertainty following the coalition’s breakup, the question of new elections looms large. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s decision to delay may be rooted in a strategic calculation, hoping to stabilize the internal dynamics of the government before facing the electorate again. The opposing parties, particularly the CDU, are eager to capitalize on the moment, calling for quick elections to harness the current political climate.
Habeck’s candidacy for chancellor comes with both advantages and challenges. His pragmatism and ability to negotiate compromises may appeal to a broader electorate, but internal party dynamics and the expectations of the Green base could complicate his campaign. As he navigates his public persona, balancing charisma with substance in the face of potential pitfalls will be critical.
With the upcoming federal elections, the stage is set for a potentially transformative political moment in Germany, where incumbents and challengers alike will vie for support amid an atmosphere of scrutiny and speculation. The interplay between party strategies, voter sentiments, and emerging crises will ultimately shape the future landscape of German politics.
