BERLIN: German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has decided to dissolve the parliament and set early elections for February 23 after the Bu...
BERLIN: German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has decided to dissolve the parliament and set early elections for February 23 after the Bundestag passed a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
"I have decided today to dissolve the 20th Bundestag and call new elections for February 23, 2025," he said at a press conference in Berlin. Steinmeier also said that he had consulted with the leaders of all the parties represented in the Bundestag before making the decision and concluded that neither the current nor the new government, in any composition, would win a majority in the current parliament.
"I am therefore convinced that new elections are now the right way forward for the good of our country," the German president said. He recalled that according to the German Basic Law, lawmakers will continue their work until the constituent session of the new Bundestag. Similarly, members of the government will continue to perform their duties until the new cabinet is formed.
"The next government faces major challenges," Steinmeier stressed. He mentioned the unstable economic situation in Germany, the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the problem of illegal migration. The president called the dissolution of the Bundestag an exceptional case. "But it is precisely in difficult times like the present that a capable government and a reliable majority in parliament are necessary for stability," the head of state said.
At the same time, Steinmeier expressed hope that the political forces would conduct the election campaign with respect for one another and that there would be no room for violence. "Discrediting, intimidation, violence - all this is poison for democracy, all this harms our democracy. We must have zero tolerance for violence. This is what I expect from everyone who wants to take responsibility," the German president emphasized.
On Germany’s political crisis
On December 16, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz suggested Steinmeier to dissolve the Bundestag after the failure of the vote of confidence. Prior to that, the majority of German lawmakers at an extraordinary session refused to trust Scholz, paving the way for early parliamentary elections in Germany. The issue of confidence in the chancellor was put up for discussion in the Bundestag for the sixth time in the history of the federal republic.
Steinmeier was obliged to dissolve the Bundestag within 21 days on the chancellor's proposal. New elections must be held within 60 days of the dissolution of the Bundestag. Steinmeier has already agreed to the possible holding of early elections on February 23, 2025. According to the results, a new government will be formed and a new chancellor will be elected.
Germany faces an acute crisis after the ruling coalition (SPD, Greens, and FDP) clashed on budgetary and economic policies, including aid to Kiev and easing the "debt brake" rule. On November 6, Scholz fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner, triggering the coalition's collapse.
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