Is Boris Pistorius the man for the job of German chancellor?

In recent days, Boris Pistorius has been talked about as a possible candidate for chancellor for his center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD).

After the collapse of the center-left coalition government at the beginning of November, this discussion has gathered pace: Pistorius was repeatedly brought into play as an alternative to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who wants to lead his party into the election campaign again as the chancellor candidate, despite his poor approval ratings.

Support for Pistorius' possible candidacy comes from the rank-and-file of his Social Democrat Party as well as from prominent SPD members. Pistorius has refused to be drawn into the discussion, and has repeatedly emphasized his loyalty to Scholz.

€100 billion for the Bundeswehr

When Pistorius was offered the position of German defense minister in January 2023, he was confident enough to accept what is often regarded as a hot seat in Berlin politics. Whoever is in charge of the chronically underfunded and poorly equipped Bundeswehr has been likely to make many mistakes.

Pistorius took office as defense minister on January 19, 2023, at a difficult time. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent German arms shipments to Kyiv revealed once again how poorly equipped the Bundeswehr was. Handing over some of its most powerful weapons systems to Ukraine, the Bundeswehr was left nearly empty-handed.

However, Pistorius acted swiftly and decisively. A one-time appropriation budget of €100 billion ($105 billion) for the German army was approved by the government in June 2022, and Pistorius pushed ahead with a number of major arms purchases. This included urgently needed air defense systems, helicopters, tanks and frigate warships.

A 'war-ready' army

Pistorius pushed for a Bundeswehr brigade — around 5,000 soldiers — to be stationed permanently in Lithuania, where it is due to be operational by 2027. This decision marked a first in the history of German defense policy and was not without controversy, partly due to the high costs involved — all the more so as Pistorius had failed to secure significantly more money for the German army in the regular defense budget for 2025.

Pistorius' stated aim has been to successfully transform the German armed forces and make them operational again, while at the same time supporting Ukraine. The German armed forces are to become "ready for war" again, as he put it — a choice of words that some critics found too aggressive. But for Pistorius, this simply means "being ready to go to war in order to avoid having one."

Most popular politician in Germany

Pistorius quickly earned the respect and esteem of both the Cabinet and the troops. His hands-on, unpretentious manner and his straight talking has gone down well with the soldiers.

Within weeks of taking office, the new defense minister had climbed to the top of popularity polls, ahead of his colleagues in the Cabinet and Chancellor Scholz himself.

Pistorius is a candidate for the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, in his home district of Hanover in Lower Saxony. This is where he gained his political experience at the local and state level, serving for many years as regional interior minister. 

Social democrat, lawyer and soccer fan

Born on March 14, 1960, Pistorius grew up with his two brothers in Osnabrück, a northern city in the German state of Lower Saxony. His mother was a local SPD politician, and he himself joined the SPD in 1976. After doing a business apprenticeship and the completion of his compulsory military service, he studied law. He then worked as a lawyer before deciding to pursue a career in local and state politics.

In 2006, Pistorius became mayor of Osnabrück, where he had always been a loyal supporter of the local VFL soccer team. When the Social Democrats won the state election in Lower Saxony in 2013, he became interior minister in the new coalition government between the SPD and the Greens.

In this new position, Pistorius made domestic security his main issue, strengthening the police force and initiating legislation to tighten gun laws. Pistorius remained interior minister in Lower Saxony for 10 years.

But while his political career was taking off, it was a difficult time for him privately. In 2015, his wife, with whom he has two daughters, died of cancer. Pistorius, who has described himself as "a real family man," remarried at the end of 2023.

This article was originally written in German.

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