“Steinmeier dissolved the Bundestag: what awaits Germany The German president dissolved the lower house of parliament after a vote of no confidence in the government of Scholz. Early elections are scheduled for February 23, the main candidate for victory is Friedrich Merz of the CDU/CSU.”, — write on: unn.ua
The Bundestag announced a vote of no confidence in Olaf Scholz’s government earlier this month after the departure of Finance Minister Christian Lindner from the Free Democrats left his government without a legislative majority.
Voting also marked the start of the election campaign. German opposition leader and CDU/CSU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz, who polls say is most likely to replace Scholz, said the current government has imposed excessive regulations and stifled growth.
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In most polls, the conservatives have a comfortable lead over the SPD of more than 10 points. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is slightly ahead of Scholz’s party, while the Greens are in fourth place.
The mainstream parties have refused to cooperate with the AfD, but its presence complicates parliamentary arithmetic, making unwieldy coalitions more likely.
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Scholz said that the main issues of the election will be investment in the future, modernization of industry, stability of pensions and maintaining peace in Ukraine, while avoiding the involvement of Germany in the war. Although the country has become Ukraine’s largest arms supplier in Europe, Scholz opposed the transfer of long-range Taurus missiles, fearing an escalation of the conflict with Russia.
The chancellor’s main opponent will be Friedrich Merz from the CDU/CSU opposition bloc, who called for a focus on increasing the competitiveness of the German economy.
Votes of confidence are rare in Germany: it was only the sixth since World War II. The last time such a step was taken by Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in 2005, which led to the victory of Angela Merkel in early elections.