German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced he will ask for a vote of confidence in December, setting the path for an early election in February. His three-party coalition government collapsed last week when Scholz fired the finance minister following disagreements over how to revive the shrinking economy.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz leaves the plenary chamber of the Bundestag during the debate following his government statement, in Berlin, Wednesday, Nov. 13. 2024. Opposition leader Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democrats delivers a speech while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz , left, checks his mobile phone in the German parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany , Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024.
Tariffs would deal a sharp blow to German exports and serve another painful setback to an economy that had long been powered by cheap and plentiful energy from Russia and large export markets.Scholz told parliament that he would submit a request for a vote of confidence on Dec. 11 so that the Bundestag can decide on it on Dec. 16. Until then, his Social Democrats and the Greens will lead Germany in a minority government.
Scholz is expected to lose the vote of confidence, which will then set the path for a new parliamentary election in a little over 100 days from now, on Feb. 23. If Scholz loses the vote, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has 21 days to dissolve parliament, and he has already indicated that he will do so. The dissolving of parliament is a formality in the process that eventually leads to new elections.However, he has not yet been officially appointed by his party. Some Social Democrats have said they don’t want him to run again because of his current unpopularity.
He has already shifted into campaign mode. “There is a great sense of relief in our country. For a week now, the so-called progressive coalition ... has been history. And that is continuing good news for Germany,” Merz told parliament after Sholz spoke.Merz’s Christian Democrats have been polling around 30% or more in the polls. Scholz’s Social Democrats, currently the strongest governing party, are third with around 16% — behind the AfD at around 19%.
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