The president Frank Walter Steinmeier dissolved this Friday (27) the Lower House of the German Parliament, paving the way for early elections on February 23, after the collapse of the chancellor’s tripartite coalition Olaf Scholz.
“Especially in difficult times, like now, stability requires a government capable of acting and reliable majorities in Parliament, which is why early elections are the right path for Germany,” said Steinmeier in Berlin.
In a speech, Steinmeier also said that, after the elections, problem solving “must return to being the main activity of politics”.
Germany’s president, whose role has been “ceremonial” in the post-war era, also called for the election campaign to be conducted in a fair and transparent manner.
“External influence is a danger to democracy, whether covert, as was evidently the case recently in the Romanian elections, or overt and blatant, as is currently being practiced in a particularly intense way on platform X,” he stated.
Scholz lost support
Scholz, a Social Democrat who will head an interim government until a new government can be formed, lost a confidence vote in Parliament this month after Finance Minister Christian Lindner’s Free Democrats left his coalition government without a legislative majority.
Continues after advertising
The vote also kicked off the election campaign, with conservative opponent Friedrich Merz, who polls suggest is likely to replace Scholz, saying the current government has imposed excessive regulations and stifled growth.
The Conservatives maintain a comfortable lead of more than 10 points over the Social Democrats (SPD) in most polls. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is slightly ahead of the SPD, while the Greens, a coalition partner, are in fourth place.
The main parties refuse to govern with the AfD, but their presence complicates parliamentary arithmetic, making the formation of unstable coalitions more likely.
