Essay Sample about Chancellor Olaf Scholz

Germany. Angela Merkel’s six-year-long tenure has come to an end, replacing Merkel is a rather familiar face, Olaf Scholz, the former finance minister of Germany and now the chancellor elect. He will be sworn in next month as the new leader of Europe's largest economy. What does he bring to the table? What are his views? What sort of a politician is he? How is he going to deal with the many challenges that Germany faces? Here's a report.

Olaf Schulz the man said to be Germany's next chancellor, a lifelong Social Democrat. Schulz has been a familiar face in German politics. He served under Angela Merkel for two decades, first as a mayor of Hamburg and more recently as a minister of finance. He will now head Europe's largest economy. 

The task before him is challenging, to say the least. First of all, he has to fill in some very big shoes live up to the stature of Angela Merkel, Germany’s second-longest-serving leader. The pressure is immense, also under the current scenario. As soon as Schulz assumes office, he will have to deal with a raging pandemic. Tensions at the Poland Belarus border. Troop mobilization at Ukraine's eastern borders. A heavily confrontational China. And a less dependable the United States. Scholz is taking office at a time when the situation is complex on multiple fronts. How does he plan to deal with it? His political history may have some answers. 

Born in Hamburg, Germany, Olaf Scholz always aspired to enter politics. He joined his current party, the Social Democrats when he was still in high school. He started as a youth leader in 1975 at the age of 17, went on to chair his party's youth wing. In 1982, became a member of the party's central committee in 1985, and after 13 years, he got elected to the Bundestag in 1998, when he was first elected. He sat with the left-wing of his party. 

Today, his critics say he may be leaning towards the right. But it's tough to tell where Schulz stands. He has advocated for stricter controls at the EU borders and more stringent deportation laws. His election campaign is centered on respect for the working class. He has called for transatlantic unity in fighting climate change and confronting strategic competitors like Russia and China. In essence, Schulz is very much like his predecessor, a pragmatic politician with bipartisan support. Someone who straddles both sides. This political flexibility may work in his favor. Few expect him to change the course that Germany is currently on, but we'll have to wait and watch if he lives up to the expectations of the people.