49% of Germans are dissatisfied with Olaf Scholz’s work as Chancellor of Germany and 55% with the federal government.
This was announced by the newspaper “Bild am Sonntag”, referring to a survey by the INSA institute. The survey was conducted from April 11 to 14 among 1,002 German citizens.
38% of Germans are satisfied with Scholz’s work as chancellor. The work of the government is assessed as satisfactory by 35% of respondents.
The rating of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), represented by Scholz, has not changed compared to last week and is 25%, that of the HDZ / HSS bloc – 26%.
We recall that earlier this week it became clear that a split in the ruling coalition in Germany was brewing due to “shortcomings in Scholz’s leadership in Ukraine.” This is an internal rift that risks undermining Western unity against Russia.
Seven weeks after the start of the war, Scholz’s junior coalition partners, the Greens and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) are unhappy that Berlin has not responded to Ukraine’s requests to send more heavy weapons, amid warnings from Kyiv. that Russia is launching a major offensive in southern and eastern Ukraine.
Berlin still provided 1 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine.
Coalition partners also wanted him to do more to reduce Germany’s energy dependence on Russia.
After a dramatic political turn at the start of the crisis, when Scholz halted Russia’s Nord Stream-2 pipeline project days before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and then promised a big jump in defense spending, his coalition partners accused him of hesitation.
Germans with two opinions about Russian oil
The population of East and West Germany is divided over the issue of energy supplies from Russia, with people in the western part of the country more likely to endure hardships due to the war in Ukraine, according to a representative public opinion poll conducted by the Sivey Institute. , DPA reported. The study was commissioned by the Aeon Foundation and covers 10,000 people.
In West Germany, 64 percent of respondents say they are willing to live without energy imported from Russia, while in the East this share is 42 percent.
“The war in Ukraine once again shows the different attitudes of Germans in the east and west of the country on energy transition and global warming,” the study said.
There is a similar division in people’s desire to reduce heating or drive less often. In the West, between 55 and 70 percent of respondents say so, and in East Germany, this group makes up less than half of the respondents.
The study also reports differences in attitudes towards alternative energy sources. Respondents in East Germany support the use of coal as an alternative to Russian gas, while those in West Germany want to turn to renewables.
The West must help Germany give up Russian oil
The West must accept higher living costs to help Germany give up Russian oil, said the former commander of the British ground forces.
General Nick Parker said society must “change its priorities” and that people “will have to accept more pain” in their daily lives to form an effective coalition to defeat Russia after it invades Ukraine.
His statement that Western countries should help subsidize Germany, which has promised to give up Russian oil, came at a time when the UK is in a crisis of living costs, and many are forced to choose between “heating or food” “, the newspaper points out.
According to the New Economy Foundation, rising inflation, wage stagnation, and rising spending on necessities mean that more than 34 percent of the population – 23.5 million people – will not be able to afford the cost of living this year.
General Nick Parker, a former British Army officer who served as commander of the Army, has suggested the UK “redirect its energy resources to help Germany”, which will further increase household energy bills.
He also warned that the war in Ukraine and the crisis with the cost of living must be seen as inextricably linked, because “we may have to fight.”
Gen. Parker added: “I think people in all our countries probably need to change their priorities. What has happened is a threat to all of us and is potentially a very serious threat. Therefore, to overcome the threat, we will have to take some pain, but this pain must be explained very clearly to people so that they understand the context. “
