German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Photo: rbc.ua.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is ready to discuss holding early elections if opposition parties support a number of laws he is trying to pass before the end of his term. According to TimeUkraineIsrael, citing Bloomberg, the country’s political landscape has undergone major changes since Scholz’s coalition, which included the Greens and the Free Democrats, collapsed. As a result, Scholz’s Social Democratic government lost its majority in the Bundestag.
Scholz has proposed holding a confidence vote on 15 January, a move that could lead to national elections in March. However, such a prospect raises concerns about prolonged political instability, which Germany cannot afford given the challenges posed by its economic situation.
The opposition, in particular the centre-right CDU/CSU bloc led by Friedrich Merz, has already expressed concerns about the delay of the elections. According to Merz, the chancellor’s tactics are “irresponsible”, as Germany, as Europe’s largest economy, needs stability and rapid reforms to overcome economic stagnation.
Pressure on Scholz from the SPD and society
On Friday, Scholz himself faced additional pressure from his own Social Democratic Party, which called for a swift resolution to the political crisis. Representatives of the business-oriented party in a statement stressed the need for urgent elections to ensure a functioning government.
A new Infratest Dimap poll conducted for ARD shows public support for early elections in January: 65 per cent of respondents want the vote to be held as soon as possible, and around 60 per cent have a positive view of the collapse of the Scholz coalition. However, at a press conference in Budapest, where he was attending the EU summit, Scholz expressed caution about a specific date for the confidence vote, stressing the importance of an agreed “democratic solution”.
Political map on the eve of the elections: party rankings
The centre-right CDU/CSU bloc, led by Merz, is currently leading the polls with over 30% support. The SPD, Scholz’s party, has around 16% and is in third place, behind the far-right Alternative for Germany, which has garnered around 17% of the vote. The Greens, who left the coalition, are in fourth place with 11% support. The Free Democrats (FDP), which received 11.5% in the 2021 elections, now has only 3%, which puts them at risk of not passing the 5% threshold to enter parliament. At the same time, the newly formed left-leaning Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance party has support of around 8%.
Thus, the situation in Germany resembles a political crossroads, with both the stability of the government and the country’s ability to respond to economic challenges at stake. The decision on the date of the election, as well as the coherence between the Bundestag parties, will be key to determining Germany’s future course.
