German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has officially submitted a vote of confidence to the Bundestag, marking an essential step towards organising early parliamentary elections on 23 February.
The German head of government announced via the social network X that the motion has been submitted. “With this I want to clear the way for early federal elections,” he wrote. Scholz also posted a photo of him signing the motion.
Scholz’s so-called ‘traffic light coalition’ – with social democrats (SPD), liberals (FDP) and Greens – fell apart in early November. Scholz then sent his finance minister, Christian Lindner of the FDP, packing because of disagreements over the budget and economic policy. The liberals then left the government.
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The vote on the motion will take place on Monday from 1 p.m. Due to the withdrawal of the FDP, it is virtually certain that the government will no longer have the confidence of parliament. Scholz can then propose to Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to dissolve the Bundestag.
Scholz had previously announced that he would hold the vote of confidence before Christmas. His party SPD had already reached an agreement with the Christian Democratic opposition party CDU/CSU on new parliamentary elections on 23 February 2025, seven months earlier than originally planned.