German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced on Sunday his willingness to ask the Bundestag for a vote of confidence before the end of the year, with the aim of accelerating the holding of early legislative elections, following the breakup of the government coalition he leads.
Olaf Scholz, however, made his disposition for a vote of confidence this year conditional on the prior agreement of his social democratic party (SPD) and the conservative opposition.
“It is not a problem for me to ask the question of confidence before Christmas”, if the SPD and the conservative opposition agree on the subject, he declared on Sunday on public television “ARD”.
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The Social Democratic Chancellor dismissed his Finance Minister last Wednesday, the president of the Liberal Party (FDP), one of the three parties forming the government coalition in Germany with the SPD and the Greens. This decision had as a direct consequence the breakdown of a government coalition already in difficulty, due in particular to deep disagreements over the economic policy of Germany, the leading power in Europe, which seeks in vain to revive an economy in complete stagnation.
Having no longer a majority in the Bundestag following the end of the government coalition, Olaf Scholz is expected to lose the vote of confidence. In this scenario, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will dissolve the Bundestag within 21 days, thus paving the way for early legislative elections which should be organized within 60 days.
The next parliamentary elections in Germany were normally scheduled for September 28, 2025.
With MAP
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