Scholz's farewell speech: A former chancellor for the SPD who gives hope!

Scholz's farewell speech: A former chancellor for the SPD who gives hope!

On June 28, 2025, former Chancellor Olaf Scholz appeared at the SPD's federal party conference in Berlin and made a clear end to his time in office. He announced that he would like to continue to support social democratic politics. Scholz emphasized that he wanted to be a former chancellor that the SPD could be happy about. First of all, he drew a positive assessment of his chancellorship and the difficult traffic light coalition with the Greens and FDP, despite the historically weak result in the last federal election. “The coalition was a departure for Germany,” said Scholz in his farewell speech. He thanked the SPD ministers and the party leadership for their cooperation, even if he exercised little self-criticism and instead criticized the Union (CDU/CSU) several times. This shows that he does not shy away from his responsibility for social democratic politics, while at the same time highlighting the government's successes, such as the right to self-determination and reforms in the nationality law.

Scholz also pointed out the challenges that the SPD had to overcome in the last legislative period and reiterated his commitment to coming to terms with the electoral defeat. The issue of respect must be at the center of the debate, he demanded, in order to create a sustainable society. In this context, Scholz emphasizes that right-wing populism goes hand in hand with a lack of hope for the future. “Progressive and social democratic parties can only be successful if the vision of a better future is present,” is his urgent appeal.

A new leadership style

The party conference began with the election of the new party leadership. Bärbel Bas was elected to the dual leadership with an impressive 95 percent of the votes, while Lars Klingbeil was accepted with 64.9 percent. Tim Klüssendorf received almost 91 percent of the votes as the new Secretary General. These personnel changes show that the SPD is hoping for a breath of fresh air and wants to move into the future with innovative ideas. In his speech, Scholz described that the SPD has the responsibility to create a society in which all people, regardless of their profession, have the opportunity to live with respect and recognition. It's not just about the interests of entrepreneurs or chief doctors, but also about the voices of factory workers, nursing staff and pensioners.

Another critical point in Scholz's speech was the migration policy of the new federal government. Here he expressed concerns and emphasized that Germany would not break any European treaties in order to reduce the number of irregular migration. “We have to be responsible for everyone in our society,” he told those present. This underlines the challenge for the new coalition landscape.

The traffic light government and coalition politics

The traffic light government was founded under Scholz in September 2021 and represented a significant change in German politics as it was formed without the CDU/CSU. In his role as Chancellor, Scholz always tried to push forward important reforms. This traffic light coalition became a symbol of a “departure”, even if the challenges that came with such a heterogeneous alliance could not be underestimated. The coalition between the SPD, FDP and Greens was a significant step, and despite its failure with the voters, Scholz showed great gratitude for the progress made and the opportunity for modernization that would not have been possible without it.

In conclusion, one could say that Olaf Scholz has a positive attitude towards the legacy of his chancellorship and is preparing to keep the social democratic idea alive in the future. With a new leadership team and a clear commitment to responsibility, the SPD appears well equipped to tackle the challenges of the coming years.

For more details on the political landscape in Germany and coalitions, you can visit Wikipedia, or read more about Scholz's farewell speech on Der Zeit. Radio Ennepe Ruhr also offers a more in-depth analysis.