The Bundestag has determined the fate of Scholz's government: will there be early elections in Germany?

The German Bundestag held a vote of confidence in Olaf Scholz's government. This took place more than a month after the collapse of the so-called "traffic light coalition."

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing ZDF.

A total of 717 votes were cast in the Bundestag, with 207 voting "in favor," expressing confidence in Olaf Scholz. 394 voted against, while 116 abstained. The voting paves the way for the dissolution of parliament and the holding of early elections.

Now, Scholz must ask Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to dissolve parliament and call for early elections. The Federal President has 21 days to do this. It is likely that the elections will take place on February 23.

However, Scholz remains the acting leader until a new government is formed.

Meanwhile, regular elections in Germany were scheduled to take place in September 2025.

What preceded this

The political situation in Germany had been complicated for several months but escalated due to the budget for 2025. The disagreement stemmed from discussions regarding covering a €13 billion deficit.

As a result, in November, Chancellor Olaf Scholz dismissed Finance Minister Christian Lindner. This politician is also the leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), and following his departure, several other ministers left, causing Scholz to lose his majority.

Thus, the "traffic light" coalition, consisting of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Free Democratic Party (FDP), and the Greens, fell apart. After this, the Chancellor announced that he would bring a vote of confidence to the Bundestag.

The main favorite in the early elections will be the opposition conservative bloc CDU/CSU led by Friedrich Merz, who is being touted for the chancellorship. Currently, his political force is leading with a significant margin. The question remains with whom he will have to form a new coalition - with the Greens or the Social Democrats.

In all scenarios, the anti-Ukrainian right-wing radicals from the "Alternative for Germany" and the left-wing populists from the "Alliance of Sahra Wagenknecht," also represented in parliament, will remain in opposition.

For more details on this, read in a separate article by RBK-Ukraine.