German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attends the Bundestag where new Finance Minister Jörg Kukies is sworn in, a day after Chancellor Scholz sacks former Finance Minister Christian Lindner on November 7, 2024 in Berlin, Germany.
Sean Gallup Getty Images
Germany is set to hold federal elections in February, earlier than originally proposed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, after the coalition government collapsed last week.
Scholz last week said he would hold a vote of confidence in January, hinting at a general election in March.
According to sources from Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), the election will be held on February 23.
The vote is now reportedly scheduled to take place on December 16th. This is a necessary step ahead of Germany’s early elections, as the chancellor must first call for a vote in parliament. If a majority of Bundestag members vote no longer confidence in the Chancellor, the Chancellor can propose to the German President to dissolve Parliament.
The president then has 21 days to take action to trigger an election, which must be held within 60 days of the dissolution of Congress. The president also has the final say in setting election dates.
Scholz was facing increasing pressure to hold elections sooner than he had proposed. But authorities warned over the weekend of logistical difficulties and organizational risks if there was not enough time to prepare before Election Day.
Scholz’s three-year coalition government of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Green Party and Free Democratic Party (FDP) collapsed last week after the prime minister fired former finance minister Christian Lindner.
This is breaking news. Please refresh to check for updates.
