Chancellor Olaf Scholz has initiated the process for an early election in Germany by requesting a confidence vote in parliament next week. This move comes after the collapse of his three-party governing coalition due to disagreements over revitalizing the country's economy.
The confidence vote is scheduled to take place on Monday in the Bundestag, with the aim of holding a parliamentary election on February 23, seven months earlier than originally planned. Scholz is anticipated to lose the vote, as his center-left Social Democrats and their coalition partners, the Greens, do not command a majority in the 733-seat chamber.
Germany's constitution prohibits parliament from dissolving itself, hence the necessity for the confidence vote. If Scholz fails to secure the confidence of the Bundestag, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will have 21 days to decide whether to dissolve the parliament, leading to an election within 60 days.
Recent polls indicate that Scholz's party is trailing behind the center-right Union bloc led by Friedrich Merz, who is a prominent challenger for the chancellorship. Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck of the Greens is also vying for the top position, although his party is currently behind in the polls.
The far-right Alternative for Germany party, which is polling strongly, has nominated Alice Weidel as its candidate for chancellor. However, due to other parties' refusal to collaborate with them, the party is unlikely to secure the chancellorship.
This upcoming election marks the first confidence vote in Germany since 2005, when then-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder called for an early election, which was narrowly won by center-right challenger Angela Merkel.
