2023-05-02 09:59:32
Germans don’t know who their chancellor is at the moment. And: 98 percent of those surveyed could not say what Scholz stands for. A column by Anselm Neft.
This is the new installment of Anselm Neft’s humorous column Spot the Error.
A large-scale survey by Allensbach, Forsa, Yougov and the research group Wahlen came to the conclusion that in the first quarter of 2023 only 23 percent of the citizens surveyed between the ages of 16 and 96 were able to give the correct name of the chancellor. The majority stated otherwise. Another worrying finding of the survey: 98 percent of those surveyed could not say what Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands for.
Olaf Scholz (SPD) has been Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany since December 8, 2021. However, only a few people have apparently taken notice of this so far. Many of those questioned had never heard of the name Olaf Scholz or gave erroneous information, ranging from handball goalkeeper to “what about money?” to “this East German comedian”.
An opinion on everything, an idea of hardly anything
When asked who is currently governing Germany, 32 percent of respondents said “Angela Merkel”. Young people in particular were irritated that “Chancellor” was not an office for life and that the “friendly grandmother” no longer determined the fate of Germany. At least 17 percent claimed that the current Chancellor’s name was Robert Baerbock. People who assumed that “Robert Baerbock” would rule often also stated that he was in league with the heat pump lobby or that he was “transgender” and “shouldn’t spit so much in China”.
Maren Kaschner
To the author
While Angela Merkel, Robert Habeck and Annalena Baerbock are still politicians, the majority of the other respondents were astounded by the statement of people from other professions. 12 percent were certain that the current Chancellor’s name was Richard David Precht and that he had “nice chest hair”. People who considered Precht their chancellor felt “reigned by and large as always”. Precht is just a typical politician: “An opinion on everything and a clue about very little.” However, many found sympathetic that he was “for animals and peace” and privately preferred to grill thick neck chops and stare at young women’s bottoms.
Emperor Schweiger
9 percent of those surveyed thought Til Schweiger was the Federal Chancellor, but were often unsure whether the first name was spelled with one, two or three L’s. Among those interviewed, there was an above-average number of people from the film industry, who also referred to Schweiger as “Imperator”, “Nuschel-Napoleon” and “Testosterone Tilly”. When asked about his management style, some spoke of “firmness”, others of “fragile masculinity”. Everyone agreed that Schweiger didn’t just like being “off duty” and giving the chiller. How much L to write Tschiller with was controversial.
Great helplessness
The remaining percent came from less well-known or completely unknown people or names that could not be clearly assigned to a politician due to their spelling. When asked what Chancellor Olaf Scholz stood for, there was mostly helplessness. Whether inflation, teacher shortages, tank deliveries or climate change – nobody could name a position of the head of state with certainty. Respondents were most likely to associate the chancellor with the billion-dollar Cum-Ex scam. But Chancellor Olaf Scholz says he knows nothing about this crime. The future will show whether Scholz is still gaining in profile, even if it is the first chancellor in the Federal Republic to be arrested.
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