Germany’s Scholz to submit parliamentary request to hold confidence vote By Reuters
Written by Sarah Marsh and Andreas Rinke
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to submit a motion to parliament for a confidence vote, a necessary prelude to new elections after his coalition collapsed last month.
Policymaking has been largely stagnant since Scholz’s coalition of the Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP), left him leading a minority government.
Germany’s political system, however, does not allow the head of government to call new elections as it is designed to ensure stability and empower other branches such as the parliament and the presidency to have a say in important issues such as these.
A government spokesman told Reuters Scholz would make a request for a confidence vote in writing on Wednesday.
Scholz is expected to lose the vote, scheduled for December 16, as his government no longer has a majority. He should then ask the president to dissolve parliament and start new elections.
The vote will come 10 days after former French Prime Minister Michel Barnier lost a no-confidence vote, underscoring the unusual level of political instability plaguing both European powers.
Scholz agreed with the opposition to hold a vote on February 23, setting Germany up for a short and wintery election campaign.
The opposition parties are currently the most likely to win, with a poll published on Monday putting them at 31%, followed by Germany’s far-right Alternative at 18%, Scholz’s SPD at 17% and the Greens at 13%.
The FDP and the newly formed Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance both polled just under 5% to enter parliament with 4%.
However, analysts say the election could change quickly, with voters less loyal to the parties than before, recalling the 2021 election campaign in which the Conservatives went from first to first in a matter of months.
The leader of the Conservatives, Friedrich Merz, in particular, is considered to be short-tempered and quick to anger.
Scholz will be the fifth chancellor in Germany’s post-World War II history to pass a vote of confidence.
