Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz loses confidence vote, early election expected in February

Germany faces early elections on February 23, 2024, after Chancellor Scholz loses a confidence vote, with President Steinmeier to decide on dissolving parliament within 21 days.

Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, faced political dismay Monday, being unable to win a confidence vote in the German federal parliament, the Bundestag. Scholz, head of a minority government, counted only 207 lawmakers in the 733-seat lower house against 394 voting against him while 116 abstained. This sample size means he is far from the required 367 votes for a majority. The Scholz government had been weakened ever since, after the collapse of his three-party coalition in November due to a serious disagreement on reviving Germany's economy, which saw the finance minister being fired.

The failed confidence vote offers a new prospect for early elections in Germany, to be held by a date now tentatively arranged for February 23, 2024, instead of the previously scheduled normal early elections in September 2024. The German constitution forbids the Bundestag from dissolving itself, and so President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has now to decide whether to dissolve parliament and call an election; he has 21 days to do so, and must call one within 60 days. 

During the debate, Scholz, a member of the center-left Social Democratic Party, pitched the upcoming election as something that would "define the future of Germany." He assured that Germany's economy would be brought into the modern era through massive investments with promises such as raising the minimum wage nationally, reducing VAT on foodstuffs, and relaxing the country's debt rules. On the other hand, his principal opponent, Friedrich Merz of the centre-right Union bloc, criticized Scholz for mismanagement of the country's economic crisis, accusing him of overspending and calling Germany's stature into question with less competitiveness.

According to polling, Merz's Union faction leads with Scholz's party in second place. Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, from the Greens, is also contesting the premier position but his party is far behind in the surveys. Thus, forming coalitions will be the only option, as no single party is expected to win an absolute majority. The far-right Alternative for Germany regales with strong polling figures but is left out of government formation because no other party will work with it. 

(Inputs from AP)