German President dissolves parliament for snap elections
(VOVWORLD) - President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday dissolved Germany's lower house of parliament to pave the way for snap elections on February 23, 2025 following the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-way coalition.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. (Photo: PAP/VNA) |
Scholz lost a confidence vote in parliament earlier this month after the departure of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) left his governing coalition without a legislative majority. The vote also kicked off election campaigning, with polls showing that Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) is likely to replace Scholz.
The CDU/CSU alliance is more than 10 points ahead of Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD) in most polls. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is slightly ahead of the SPD, while the Greens are in fourth place. The mainstream parties have refused to govern with the AfD, but its presence complicates parliamentary arithmetic, making any coalitions that are formed difficult to work with.