Germany calls early elections amid political collapse

The President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, dissolved this Friday (27) the lower house of Parliament, the Bundestag, and called early elections for February 23, 2025. The measure comes after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government , which lost its parliamentary majority by breaking the three-party coalition formed with the Greens and the Free Democrats (FDP). The decision was classified as a “historic day” by the German newspaper Bild.

The crisis began in November, when Scholz fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner due to disagreements over policies to revive the stagnant economy. The incident led to the resignation of the other liberal ministers, deepening government instability. On the 16th, a motion of confidence (voted when parliamentarians feel the need to reevaluate the government) approved by 394 parliamentarians consolidated the collapse of the government and paved the way for the calling of new elections.

In a speech, Steinmeier said he was “convinced that new elections are the right path for the good of the country” and justified the dissolution of Parliament as a necessary measure in times of crisis, highlighting the economic challenges, wars in Ukraine and the Middle East , as well as debates on immigration and climate change. The president emphasized that the next government will need to be “capable of acting” and seek concrete solutions to the country’s problems.

Polls show that the opposition led by Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is ahead, while Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) is in third place, behind the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). . Despite being well placed, the AfD faces rejection from traditional parties to form coalitions. The scenario indicates the possibility of a government led by Merz in an alliance with another party.

The anticipation of elections is a rare event in Germany, which adopts a parliamentary system, this being the fourth time it has occurred since 1949. Scholz will remain in office until the new government takes office, keeping the country in a period of transition during one of the biggest political crises in its recent history.

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with agencies