German leader Olaf Scholz is convinced that he will once again be his centre-left party's candidate for chancellor in next year's general election, despite the battering he received in the recent vote for the European Parliament.
In an interview with ARD television on Saturday, when asked whether he was certain that he would be the Social Democrats' next candidate for chancellor the 2025 poll, he answered with a curt "Yes."
Scholz acknowledged the poor showing the Social Democrats and the two other parties in his coalition - the Greens and the Free Democrats - had in the European election on June 9.
The three parties together secured less than a third of the vote.
But Scholz said he does not support calls for a vote of confidence in his government to be held in parliament, nor would he call a snap election.
"The fact is that the government has a majority in parliament. We have just passed laws this week in the Bundestag and we have a mandate to fulfil and do our job. That's what we're doing," said Scholz, who was interviewed before leaving the G7 summit in Italy.
The centre-right opposition Christian Democrats came out on top in last week's election and the far-right Alternative for Germany also made gains.
