German president dissolves parliament, calls early elections for February 23

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday ordered the dissolution of parliament and called for new elections on February 23 after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition, which he said was the only way to give the country a stable government capable of dealing with its problems. .

Scholz lost a vote of confidence on Dec. 16 and heads a small government. His unpopular and notorious three-party coalition collapsed on November 6 when he fired his finance minister in a row over how to revive Germany's faltering economy.

Steinmeier said he took this decision because it is clear after discussions with party leaders that there is no agreement between the political parties in Germany regarding the majority of the new government in the existing parliament.

“It is in difficult times like these that stability requires a government capable of taking action and a loyal majority in parliament,” he said when he made the announcement in Berlin.

“Therefore, I am sure that for the benefit of our country, new elections are the right way.”

Since the post-World War II constitution does not allow the Bundestag to dissolve itself, it was up to Steinmeier to decide whether to dissolve parliament and call an election. He had 21 days to make that decision. Once parliament is dissolved, elections must be held within 60 days.

Leaders of several major parties have previously agreed that parliamentary elections should be held on February 23, seven months earlier than planned.

Actually, the campaign has already started. Polls show that Scholz's party is trailing behind the opposition Union bloc led by Friedrich Merz.

Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck of the Greens, Scholz's remaining government ally, is also seeking the top job – although his party is back. If the latest elections go ahead, it is likely that the next government will be led by Merz as chancellor in cooperation with at least one other party.

Key issues include immigration, how to revive the faltering economy and how to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

The Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which has voted the most, has nominated Alice Weidel as its candidate for the chancellor election but has no chance of taking the job because other parties refuse to cooperate with it.

Germany's electoral system tends to produce coalitions, and polls show that no party is close to an absolute majority on its own. This election is expected to be followed by weeks of talks to form a new government.

It is only the fourth time that the Bundestag has been dissolved early under Germany's post-World War II constitution. It happened under Chancellor Willy Brandt in 1972, Helmut Kohl in 1982 and Gerhard Schroeder in 2005. Schroeder used a vote of confidence to hold an early election that was narrowly won by center-right rival Angela Merkel.