“Trend against the backdrop of sanctions against Russia”: why the rating of German Chancellor Scholz set an anti-record

The popularity rating of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has fallen to the lowest level since he took office as head of the German government.

This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the sociological institute INSA commissioned by the newspaper Bild am Sonntag.

The publication calls such indicators "sad" for Scholz and "lower than ever." 

“Dissatisfaction with him (the chancellor of Germany among the population.

) has reached a new record high,” Bild reports.

“This is the highest figure since the beginning of his term.”

49% of respondents are dissatisfied with Scholz's policy.

At the same time, the level of support for its course is only 38%.

At the same time, as sociologists have found out, more than half of the inhabitants of Germany (55%) do not approve of the work of the federal government, and only 35% of those surveyed are satisfied with the activities of the German cabinet.

In addition, according to Bild, the results of the poll on electoral preferences "do not bode well for the Social Democrats", who are "stably behind" the CDU/CSU bloc.

“If the elections to the Bundestag were held next Sunday, the SPD would have gained 25%, as in the previous week, the CDU / CSU - 26%, as in the previous week,” the newspaper notes.

"Responds to declining wealth"

According to experts, the fall in the rating of Olaf Scholz is directly related to the crisis in Germany, aggravated by the imposition of anti-Russian sanctions by Berlin.

“The population reacts in this way to the progressive decline in their well-being.

The Germans are unhappy with the significantly increased prices for electricity, fuel, food and other goods.

The citizens of Germany have placed the responsibility for all this on the Cabinet, Scholz and his party, as evidenced by their ratings, ”Vladimir Olenchenko, senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at IMEMO RAS, explained in an interview with RT.

It is worth noting that the German authorities acknowledge the presence of economic difficulties, including those associated with high energy prices, which have risen even more after a number of anti-Russian measures were taken.

• German Economic Minister Robert Habeck and Chancellor Olaf Scholz

• AP

So, on March 23, Scholz said during a press conference that “a certain problem” for citizens and businesses in the EU is rising energy prices.

He also added that sanctions against Russia should also be considered in terms of "the consequences for economic development opportunities."

In turn, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner noted in an interview with Bild published on April 3 that anti-Russian restrictions "are already unprecedented", but, in his opinion, "should hit the Putin regime", and not "undermine the stability of Germany" .

According to Lindner, Berlin cannot stop the decline in the standard of living of citizens, as Germany has to "pay more for energy imports."

The Minister also stressed that the consequences of the energy embargo for Germany "will be tragic."

Later, on April 6, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck admitted that Berlin's immediate rejection of Russian coal would be a serious problem for the republic.

He also noted that already now, due to high energy prices, Germany is experiencing a "period of new poverty."

However, despite these concerns, on April 7, Scholz announced that Germany plans to stop importing Russian coal within 120 days, while noting that Berlin and German enterprises “need a little time” to find new suppliers.

He explained that such a ban provides for the fifth EU sanctions package against the Russian Federation, which, as stated in the Council of Europe, is designed to "increase pressure on the Russian government and economy."

Against the backdrop of these measures by Germany and the European Union as a whole, inflation in Germany reached a historical record in March, rising to 7.3%, the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reported on April 12.

“In the former territory of Germany, such high inflation rates were last observed in the fall of 1981, when oil prices rose significantly as a result of the Iran-Iraq war,” the department noted.

Bureau specialists also stressed that the inflation rate was affected by interruptions in supplies and a significant increase in prices "in the primary sector of the economy."

“As a result of the current crisis, there has been a rise in prices, first of all, of energy resources, as well as other goods and services,” German analysts stated.

In an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the vice-president of Germany's largest financial institution Deutsche Bank, Karl von Rohr, warned that if energy imports from Russia are restricted, the inflation rate in Germany could exceed 10%.

However, prices in Germany are growing not only for energy resources, but also, as a result, for food.

As Deputy Secretary General of the German Farmers Association Udo Hemmerling said in an interview with Der Spiegel magazine, there may be problems with the availability of meat products in Germany in the coming months. 

"In a Russophobic frenzy"

According to analysts, the level of approval of the work of the chancellor and the federal government by the German population is now so low, because people are worried not only that their standard of living is rapidly falling, but also the future prospects of the German economy, taking into account the crisis and the negative effect of anti-Russian sanctions.

“If the slowdown in the economic development of Germany was one-time and short-term, then it would not lead to such discontent.

But since this has been happening for quite a long time and these processes have already become a trend against the backdrop of restrictions against Russia, the population is reconsidering the degree of trust in the Chancellor and the Cabinet.

Because of this, the ratings of the SPD party, of which Scholz is a member, are also falling, ”says Olenchenko.

According to him, the actions of the German Chancellor directed against Russia "have a hit not so much on the Russian Federation, but on its rating and the well-being of its own citizens."

“We see that the German chancellor, trying to get into unison with the United States and other EU countries through the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions, poorly calculates the consequences for Germany itself.

The German authorities are in a Russophobic frenzy and do not think about the well-being of their own population, or about the economy, ”Olenchenko believes.

• Inhabitants of Germany

• globallookpress.com

• © Stefan Zeitz/XinHua

At the same time, as the expert predicts, the ratings of Scholz, his party and the Cabinet of Ministers will continue to fall, since in August the FRG intends to impose a complete embargo on the import of Russian coal, which will provoke another jump in energy prices.

“It is not excluded the growth of protest moods among the population.

The German authorities cannot avoid the growth of tension in relations with business, since the ban on the import of Russian coal will negatively affect the industry of Germany.

This will lead to a curtailment of economic activity, an increase in unemployment and an even greater increase in the number of dissatisfied people, ”Olenchenko predicts.

In turn, the deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics of the Moscow State Pedagogical University, Vladimir Shapovalov, explains the fall in Scholz's rating also by the fact that in German society he was perceived as a politician capable of conducting a dialogue with Russia, building mutually beneficial relations with her, but such expectations did not come true.

“In the current crisis, Scholz has shown complete inefficiency in this regard.

He took a very aggressive anti-Russian position.

This was extremely imprudent for the leader of a state so strongly connected to the Russian Federation and so dependent on energy supplies.

Now the sanctions imposed against Russia are hitting Germany the most, ”the analyst said.

Shapovalov stated that anti-Russian sanctions undermine economic ties with the Russian Federation, which are so beneficial for Germany, “and in return they give nothing but plunge the German economy into a large-scale crisis.”

“This is a wide range of goods and services, and not just energy resources.

Germany is more focused on the Russian market than other EU countries.

This is the German automotive industry, household appliances, chemical and medical production.

All this seriously hits the wallet, and the Germans are annoyed by such a policy.

Therefore, Scholz's rating will continue to fall, ”the expert concluded.