German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced that he will request a vote of confidence in the Bundestag on December 16, setting the stage for early parliamentary elections in February 2025.
Scholz made the statement during a speech in parliament on Wednesday, following the collapse of his three-party coalition government last week. The Chancellor expressed his gratitude for the upcoming vote, which will determine the future of his government.
Before the vote of confidence, Scholz plans to push key legislation through parliament, including financial support for low-income families and constitutional amendments aimed at strengthening the independence of Germany’s highest court.
Initially, Scholz had aimed for an early election by late March, ahead of the regularly scheduled vote in September 2025, but with the recent developments, the February date has now been finalized.
In his speech, both Chancellor Scholz and the leader of the opposition Christian Democrats, Friedrich Merz, appeared to shift into campaign mode, even though the intense phase of campaigning in Germany typically starts only about six weeks before an election.
“There is a great sense of relief in our country. For the past week, the so-called progressive coalition… has been history. And that’s good news for Germany,” Merz declared, earning applause from his Christian Democrat colleagues after Scholz’s speech.
Merz launched a direct attack on the chancellor, accusing him of dividing the country. “You are dividing the country, Mr. Chancellor. You are the one responsible for these controversies and this division in Germany,” Merz said. “You simply cannot govern a country like this.”
He also accused Scholz of trying to delay the vote of confidence and argued that it should have been called sooner.
