A Constant State of Crisis: Olaf Scholz’s Ampelkoalition One Year In

When the three-party coalition under the leadership of Social Democrats assumed office a year ago, no one could have anticipated the number – or severity – of the crises it would face. The Ampelkoalition of Social Democrats, Greens, and Free Democrats would have faced a steep learning curve under the best of circumstances. Lingering concerns over Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine have overshadowed the first year of this fledgling coalition. While it has met some of its campaign promises and had some other achievements, two recent public opinion polls indicate that two-thirds of the population is dissatisfied with the Ampel.

Join us for a conversation with Stefan Kornelius, the Political Editor of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, assessing the first year of the new government.

Stefan Kornelius is the Political Editor of the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Previously he served as the Foreign Editor of the paper for nearly 20 years. In his reporting career, he has covered Germany’s Christian Democratic Party (CDU), the chancellorship of Helmut Kohl, and defense issues in Europe. He served as Berlin Bureau Chief, and from 1996 to 1999, he was the paper’s Washington correspondent. Before that, he was a correspondent in Bonn.

His biography of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, entitled Angela Merkel, the Chancellor and her World, has been translated into 13 languages. Mr. Kornelius is a graduate of the Henri-Nannen-Journalistenschule and studied in Bonn and at the London School of Economics.