Filip Singer / EPA
Olaf Scholz abandons vote on confidence motion
A motion of confidence was voted on in the Bundestag and, as expected, it was failed. Scholz’s defeat, early elections.
There were no surprises: it was sinker a motion of confidence what Olaf Scholz presented in Parliament.
The vote was held this Monday and, as expected, the deputies in the Bundestag failed the motion: 394 deputies voted against, 207 in favor, 116 deputies abstained.
Defeat of the chancellor and elections advance, in principle on the day February 23.
Olaf Scholz has already proposed the dissolution of parliament to President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, at Bellevue Palace (Berlin). President Steinmeier has 21 days to announce his decision but he already left a signal, in November, that he will dissolve parliament.
This outcome had been expected since the beginning of November, when Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Minister of Finance, Christian Lindner – who is also leader of the FDP, the liberal party that was part of the coalition that forms the government. Differences within the coalition over the economy and the future of Germany had long been visible.
What’s next
There are still some steps before the likely election day, as highlighted by .
Tomorrow, Tuesday, the main parties will decide their electoral programs; on January 11th the SPD announces its candidate for chancellor – which must be , again; On January 30th, the electoral proposals are closed and the printing of ballot papers can begin ().
February will be the month of television debates; two of them among the biggest candidates for chancellor, Olaf Scholz and Friedrich Merz.
Friedrich Merzfrom the CDU, appears as the candidate favorite to the next elections. The leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU, which was led by Angela Merkel) is expected to turn Germany to the right, politically: he has 30% of voting intentions in the polls.
The second political force could be the extreme right of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), currently around 19%. Only later did Scholz’s SPD appear, with 16%.
