Germany is planning to hold early parliamentary elections on February 23, 2025, following the collapse of Olaf Scholz's coalition last week, AFP learned from a source close to the chancellor's Social Democratic Party.
After several days of negotiations, the date was agreed upon with the main opposition party, the CDU/CSU conservatives, the same source added.
According to another source close to the discussions, the chancellor is expected to put forward a vote of confidence in the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, on December 16. The deputies will vote two days after the motion is submitted, the source clarified.
This compromise would help clarify the next steps following the breakdown of the three-party coalition led by Olaf Scholz, which has plunged Europe’s largest economy into an unprecedented crisis.
The chancellor, who now heads a minority government with the Greens, initially scheduled the confidence vote for January 15 with the prospect of elections in March.
However, under pressure from all sides to speed up the process, the unpopular leader took a step back, leaving the date decision to the parliamentary groups of the CDU/CSU conservatives—the leading opposition party currently topping opinion polls. | BGNES
