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Germany to Hold New Elections Following Coalition Collapse
On Friday, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced the dissolution of parliament and the scheduling of new elections for February 23. This decision comes in the aftermath of the disintegration of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s governing coalition, which Steinmeier deemed necessary to establish a stable government capable of addressing the country’s pressing issues.
Chancellor Scholz faced a confidence vote on December 16 and currently leads a minority administration. The three-party coalition, described as contentious and unpopular, unravelled on November 6 after Scholz dismissed his finance minister amid disagreements over revitalizing Germany’s sluggish economy.
After consultations with party leaders, Steinmeier concluded that there was a lack of consensus among Germany’s political parties for a viable majority government in the existing parliament. “It is precisely in difficult times like these that stability requires a government capable of taking action and a reliable majority in parliament,” he stated during his announcement in Berlin. “Therefore I am convinced that for the good of our country, new elections are the right way.”
Germany’s post-World War II constitution prohibits the Bundestag from dissolving itself, placing the responsibility for this decision on Steinmeier. He had a period of 21 days to finalize his choice, and once parliament is dissolved, elections must occur within a 60-day timeframe.
Leaders from various significant political parties previously reached an agreement to hold elections on February 23, which is seven months sooner than initially planned. In practice, the campaign has already begun, with current polls indicating that Scholz’s party is lagging behind the conservative opposition Union bloc, led by Friedrich Merz.
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck of the Green Party, the remaining partner in Scholz’s administration, is also positioning himself as a contender for the chancellorship, despite his party’s lower standing in the polls. If current trends remain, Merz is poised to lead the next government, likely in coalitional arrangements with one or more parties.
Several critical issues are at the forefront of this election, including immigration policies, strategies to stimulate the sluggish economy, and supporting Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
The far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is seeing increased support in polls, has put forward Alice Weidel as its chancellor candidate. However, it is unlikely that the AfD will gain any significant power since other political factions are unwilling to collaborate with them.
Historically, Germany’s electoral system tends to yield coalition governments, with polls indicating no single party is likely to achieve an absolute majority. Consequently, the aftermath of the election will likely entail extensive negotiations to form a new government.
This marks only the fourth instance of the Bundestag being dissolved prematurely per the post-World War II constitution, following similar circumstances under Chancellor Willy Brandt in 1972, Helmut Kohl in 1982, and Gerhard Schroeder in 2005. Notably, Schroeder leveraged a confidence vote to call for early elections, ultimately leading to a narrow victory for the center-right challenger, Angela Merkel.
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