Germany is planning new elections in February, as the radio reports

Von WOM

Germany is faced with a new election, which is to take place on February 23. This was announced after a meeting of the parties in the fragmented parliament on Tuesday, reported the public service broadcaster ARD.

collapse of the government

The government kcoalition under Chancellor Olaf Scholz broke apart last week after disagreements about the state's weak economy to dismiss his finance minister. This left him behind with a minority government, together with the Greens.

Need for a vote of trust

The exact date for the election must be confirmed by the president, but only after a vote that Scholz has to convene. This vote will take place on December 16, after all parties represented in parliament have agreed on it, according to ARD.

President Steinmeier comments

The German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has to officially confirm the election date, but reports that this is only a matter of form. At another event in Berlin, Steinmeier said on Tuesday: "Our country needs a government capable of acting."

Fast course change

Steinmeier added: "That is why we cannot lose time now. We have to find answers on how we can make our state more capable of acting." The current clarity about the date for the elections, which was originally supposed to take place in September 2025, comes just a week after the collapse of Scholz's government.

pressure on Chancellor Scholz

Scholz initially announced that he wanted to hold a vote on January 15, but immediately saw the pressure of the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to prevent it earlier. Friedrich Merz, the chairman of the CDU, said last week: "There is absolutely no reason to wait until January."

unpopular government

Scholz's position regarding the date seemed to change over the weekend. On Friday he tweeted that he wanted to "make new elections easier as soon as possible". Then, on Sunday evening, he said on a German television that he was ready to convene the vote before Christmas.

At the moment, Scholz has a minority government with the Greens. His government is enjoying growing unpopularness in Germany, and according to a survey in September, Scholz is considered one of the most unpopular chancellors.