A new German parliament will be elected on February 23 next year, media outlets including DPA news agency reported on Tuesday, citing official sources.
The date was reportedly agreed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats, their remaining coalition partners, the Greens, and the largest opposition party – the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
The move follows the breakup of the three-party governing coalition, which included the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP). Last week, Scholz fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner, who is also the FDP leader. The chancellor’s decision prompted Lindner’s party to formally withdraw from the coalition, leaving Scholz with a minority government.
The German media initially reported that the leaders of the three coalition parties had failed to find common ground on how to address the multi-billion-euro deficit in next year’s budget. The three partners had been at odds over the nation’s economic and financial policy in recent months.
Scholz then acknowledged that aid to Ukraine had become a major point of contention in the coalition talks. According to the chancellor, he put forward a four-point plan that included “increasing our support for Ukraine” among other things, which Lindner rejected.
In the wake of the developments, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was ready to call an early vote, adding that the country needed “a stable majority and a government that is capable of acting.” For the snap election to happen, Scholz will have to call a vote of confidence for his government, and lose it.
The chancellor initially sought to do so in mid-January, setting the stage for an election in late March, while the CDU reportedly pushed for a snap poll as early as January 19. The two sides eventually came to an agreement, with Scholz putting forward the vote of confidence to December 16, according to DPA.
If the government loses the vote, Steinmeier will have 21 days to dissolve parliament. A 60-day deadline is then set for the new election to take place. According to the German news agency, February 23 falls within this deadline.
The date roughly coincides with the start of major hostilities between Moscow and Kiev, which broke out on February 24, 2022, when Russia launched its military operation. It is unclear whether this date played any role in the German parties’ decision-making process.