A scandal erupted in Germany after a sharp statement by Bundestag deputy from the Green Party Paula Pichotta addressed to Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
During a recording of the Ost-Grün podcast, the politician harshly criticized Scholz, calling him an “asshole” and questioning his ability to continue as head of government.
Discussing the upcoming elections and tensions in the ruling coalition, Pichotta stated:
“Everyone in the SPD knows that Olaf Scholz is an asshole. They chose him as a candidate only because there were no alternatives. Olaf Scholz is below average as head of government and has caused disproportionate damage to Europe. He is certainly not an outstanding statesman, I am very sorry.”
Pichotta’s words caused a strong reaction, especially from the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Party representatives condemned the MP’s comments, calling them unacceptable and harmful to democratic dialogue. In response, Pichotta emphasized that her statements reflected an opinion widespread even among members of the SPD. Moreover, she suggested removing the offensive epithet from the podcast to create the conditions for “more constructive discussion.”
The scandal unfolds against the backdrop of an agreement among German parties to conduct a fair election campaign without personal attacks. However, Pichotta questioned the sincerity of this agreement, accusing the SPD of preparing a campaign focusing on personal attacks against CDU leader Friedrich Merz.
Earlier, Cursor reported that Germany denied citizenship to a Palestinian Arab because he said that he did not recognize Israel as a state.