Germany faces potential political upheaval as elections loom
Contrary to earlier announcements, the German government might collapse later this year. "If everyone agrees that I should call for a vote of confidence before Christmas, that's no problem for me," said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday evening on ARD, a public television programme.
In an interview with ARD, Olaf Scholz also noted that as chancellor, he is the one who formally submits the request for such a vote. However, he mentioned that if SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich and opposition leader and CDU chairman Friedrich Merz come to an agreement on this matter, he will adhere to it.
- Let me make it clear: where parliament, the government, and the opposition agree, especially democratic parties - I'll start with that and make it possible - emphasised Scholz, as quoted by the portal tagesschau.de.
The chancellor stated that "he is not clinging to his job."
Scholz talks about "technical preparation" for elections
Scholz stressed that, in the context of new parliamentary elections, essential democratic steps and technical preparations for voting must be taken into account. - No one wants a repeat of what happened in Berlin, where we had to redo the elections - he added.
It should be recalled that in 2024, elections to the Bundestag in Berlin, which initially took place in 2021, were partially repeated. The initial vote recorded many irregularities, including insufficient ballots and the temporary closing of polling stations.
After the SPD, Greens, and FDP coalition dissolved this week, Chancellor Scholz announced that he would subject his government to a vote of confidence on 15 January 2025. He added that parliamentary elections might occur at the end of March.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced on Thursday his readiness to dissolve the Bundestag and call new elections.
