German official unveils timeframe for snap parliamentary elections

Head of the German Federal Chancellery Wolfgang Schmidt has said that snap elections for the Bundestag (parliament) may be held on March 9, 2025.

Earlier, Chancellor Scholz announced that he would raise a motion of confidence in the government in the Bundestag at the beginning of 2025. He also indicated that snap elections might be held before the end of March 2025, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The Bundestag is the national parliament of Germany, located in the Reichstag Building in Berlin. Currently, it has 733 members, marking the 20th electoral term since the founding of the Federal Republic in 1949. 

Typically, people choose the members of the Bundestag every four years. According to the Basic Law, Bundestag members are elected through "general, direct, free, equal, and secret elections." "General" means that all German citizens aged 18 or older are eligible to vote. The elections are "direct" because citizens cast their votes directly for their representatives, without intermediaries or electoral colleges.   "Free" ensures that voters are not subjected to any form of coercion. "Equal" means that each vote has the same weight in determining the composition of the Bundestag. "Secret" guarantees that voters can cast their ballots privately, without others knowing which candidate or party they have chosen.  

By Naila Huseynova