German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is set to submit a request to parliament on Wednesday for a vote of confidence, a necessary step before new federal elections can be held following the collapse of his coalition last month.
Policymaking has largely stalled since Scholz’s coalition—comprised of Social Democrats (SPD), Greens, and the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP)—broke down, leaving him at the helm of a minority government.
Germany’s political system does not allow the head of government to simply call for new elections, as it’s designed to maintain stability and require other branches of power, such as parliament and the presidency, to have a say in such significant matters.
A government spokesperson told Reuters that Scholz will make the request for a vote of confidence in writing on Wednesday.
Scholz is expected to lose the vote, scheduled for Dec. 16, as his government no longer holds a majority. He must then request the president to dissolve parliament, triggering new elections.
The vote will come just ten days after former French Prime Minister Michel Barnier lost a no-confidence vote, underscoring the unusual degree of political instability affecting both of Europe’s top powers.
Scholz has agreed with the opposition to hold the vote on Feb. 23, setting Germany up for a short and wintry election campaign.
Currently, the opposition conservatives are leading in the polls, with a survey published on Monday showing them at 31%, followed by the far-right Alternative for Germany on 18%, Scholz’s SPD on 17%, and the Greens at 13%.
The FDP and the newly-created Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance are both currently polling just under the 5% threshold needed to enter parliament.
However, analysts caution that polls can shift rapidly, with voters displaying less loyalty to parties than in the past—echoing the 2021 election campaign when the conservatives fell from frontrunner to runner-up within a few months.
Friedrich Merz, leader of the conservatives, is particularly known for making gaffes and having a quick temper.
Scholz will become the fifth chancellor in post-World War Two Germany to pose a vote of confidence.
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