Germany will hold federal elections in February, earlier than originally proposed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz after his governing coalition collapsed on Wednesday.
Scholz last week foreshadowed an election in March, saying he would hold a confidence vote in January.
The election is expected to take place on February 23, according to sources in the parliamentary group of the social democratic party Scholz (SPD).
The confidence vote will now reportedly take place on December 16. It is a necessary step ahead of early elections in Germany because the chancellor must first announce the vote in parliament. If a majority of Bundestag members vote that they no longer have confidence in the chancellor, he can propose the dissolution of parliament to the German president.
The president then has 21 days to make a decision that will trigger an election, which must take place within 60 days after parliament is dissolved. The President also has the final authority in setting the election date.
Scholz is facing increasing pressure to hold elections earlier than he proposed. However, authorities at the weekend warned of logistical difficulties and organizational risks if there was insufficient preparation time before the election.
The three-year governing coalition between Scholz's social democratic party (SPD), the Green party, and the free democratic party (FDP) ended last week after Scholz fired former Finance Minister Christian Lindner. Lindner was replaced by Jörg Kukies who was appointed as the new finance minister on 7 November.
The collapse of the alliance came after months of disagreements between the three former political partners over economic policy and the budget, which Scholz and Lindner cited as a key factor behind the split. It is still unclear when and how the 2025 budget will be finalized.
Scholz's SPD and the Green party will form a minority government in Germany until elections in February. Scholz stated that he hopes to pass some legislation in the final months of his term.
Attention will soon turn to the election campaign. Several parties have chosen their main candidates for chancellor, while others, including the SPD, have yet to do so. Some parties have also shown their prospective policy plans to the local media.
