Germany’s political landscape shifts with early election plan Countdown to February

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats and opposition lawmakers are reportedly nearing an agreement to hold early elections in February, according to government officials privy to the confidential discussions.

These officials, who requested anonymity, indicated that the negotiations are progressing swiftly, Caliber.Az reports via Bloomberg.

Scholz, who recently dissolved his governing coalition with the Greens and the Free Democrats (FDP), must initiate the electoral process by submitting to a confidence vote in the lower house of parliament. This vote is expected to occur in early December. If Scholz loses, he can then petition the president to dissolve parliament and call for a national election to be held within 60 days.

Carsten Linnemann, general secretary of the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU), mentioned during an interview with German media that the snap elections are likely to be scheduled for either February 16 or 23. “New elections are needed as soon as possible,” he emphasized.

Initially aiming for mid-January, Scholz has now expressed a willingness to bring the confidence vote forward before Christmas, provided there is an agreement among parliamentary leaders. This timeline adjustment comes as his party negotiates with factions backing his main rival, Friedrich Merz, the CDU leader and chancellor contender.

Germany's political stability was thrown into disarray last week when Scholz dismissed Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the FDP, effectively dissolving the coalition. The split arose from a heated disagreement over borrowing funds to bolster military aid for Ukraine. Scholz accused Lindner of prioritizing party interests over national welfare, undermining trust. In response, Lindner announced the FDP’s withdrawal from the coalition.

Despite polls favouring Merz as the frontrunner, Scholz remains optimistic about his chances. On Sunday, he expressed confidence in securing another term, noting his ability to defy unfavourable polling as he did in his 2021 chancellorship victory. Scholz also expects the Social Democratic Party (SPD) to support his candidacy for re-election.

The coalition government dubbed the “traffic light coalition” due to its parties' colours — Scholz's SPD (red), the FDP (yellow), and the Greens (green) — has been in power since 2021, holding 56% of the Bundestag seats. The SPD controlled eight ministerial positions, with Scholz serving as chancellor. The Greens secured five, with Robert Habeck as vice-chancellor and economy minister, while the FDP held four ministerial posts.

The last time Germany held special elections was in 2005, when Gerhard Schröder’s SPD-Green coalition was replaced by a CDU/CSU-SPD alliance, ushering in Angela Merkel’s 16-year chancellorship.

By Tamilla Hasanova