The German Bundestag has passed a vote of no confidence in the government of Olaf Scholz

The German Bundestag, on Monday, December 16, passed a vote of no confidence in Olaf Scholz’s government, as expected, paving the way for early parliamentary elections in February 2025.

Of the 717 Bundestag members who participated in the vote, only 207 supported Scholz’s government (the size of the Social Democratic Party’s faction in the Bundestag), while 394 voted no confidence, and 116 abstained.

As a result, the Bundestag formally expressed no confidence in the federal government. Scholz must now appeal to President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to dissolve the parliament. Steinmeier has 21 days to make a decision, but he has already approved the date for early elections—February 23, 2025.

Polls predict the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by Friedrich Merz, to achieve the best results, with over 30% of the vote. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) ranks second in voter preferences with 18%, followed by Scholz’s SPD at 17%, and the Greens at 13%.

The coalition in Germany collapsed in November after the Free Democratic Party (FDP) withdrew from it.

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