German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has dissolved the parliament, setting up snap elections for February 23rd. The move follows the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government after losing a confidence vote in parliament.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has dissolved the country's lower house of parliament paving the way for snap elections on February 23. It comes after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-way coalition collapsed in November and he lost a confidence vote in parliament earlier this month. The country's electoral system traditionally produces coalitions, and polls show no party anywhere near an absolute majority on its own.
Mr Steinmeier said in a speech, 'I have decided to dissolve the 20th German Bundestag to fix the date for an early election for February 23rd'. Leaders of several major parties then agreed that a parliamentary election should be held on February 23, seven months earlier than originally planned. Mr Scholz lost a confidence vote in parliament earlier this month after the departure of Finance Minister Christian Lindner's Free Democrats left his government without a legislative majority. The latest vote kicked off election campaigning in earnest, with conservative challenger Friedrich Merz claiming that the incumbent government had imposed excessive regulations and stifled growth.Friedrich Merz (right) currently leads in the polls. The conservatives have a comfortable lead of more than 10 points over the SPD in most polls. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is slightly ahead of Scholz's party, while the Greens are in fourth place. At this stage, the mainstream parties have refused to govern with the AfD, but its presence complicates the parliamentary arithmetic, making unwieldy coalitions more likel
GERMANY ELECTIONS COALITION POLITICS SNAP ELECTIONS
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