A majority of Bundestag (German parliament) lawmakers voted against Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a planned confidence vote, paving the way for early elections in February, according to Euractiv.
Scholz requested the vote of confidence after his coalition government collapsed in November. According to the vote, 207 lawmakers voted in favour of Scholz, 394 against and 116 abstained. That is well below the 367-vote majority needed in the 733-seat Bundestag.
The ruling coalition lost its majority after the Free Democrats left over the economic policy dispute. The FDP and opposition parties, including the Christian Democrats (CDU), were expected to vote against the chancellor.
The Greens, Scholz’s remaining coalition partners, made it clear they would abstain. This would help avoid a scenario in which deputies from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) vote for Scholz to thwart his plans for early elections.
Scholz is likely to request German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to dissolve parliament in order to hold snap elections in February. According to the timetable that Scholz presented after talks with Steinmeier and the opposition, the dissolution is scheduled for 27 December.
