Scholz gets nod from SPD to run again for chancellor

Germany's Social Democratic Party, or SPD, on Monday formally announced Chancellor Olaf Scholz as its top candidate for the upcoming snap election scheduled for Feb 23.

The decision to nominate Scholz followed two weeks of internal debate within the SPD, with party members deciding between supporting the current chancellor's bid for a second term or backing alternative candidate Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

Pistorius, who polls show is currently Germany's most popular politician, announced last week that he would not seek the chancellorship and instead endorsed Scholz.