German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier intends to decide on the dissolution of the country’s parliament on December 27, a spokeswoman for the head of state’s office Cerstin Gammelin said on her page on the social network X on Friday.
Gammelin said Steinmeier had held talks with the chairmen of parliamentary factions over the past few days and had become convinced that there was no prospect of creating a stable majority for the German government.
“I intend to decide on December 27, 2024 to dissolve the Bundestag in accordance with Article 68 of the Basic Law,” Gammelin quoted Steinmeier as saying.
On December 16, the German parliament voted to pass a vote of no confidence in Scholz’s cabinet.
According to the law, Steinmeier must dissolve parliament, based on the chancellor’s proposal, within 21 days. New elections must be held within 60 days of the dissolution, and Steinmeier has previously reportedly endorsed holding elections on February 23, 2025.
The political chaos in Germany began immediately after Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election. Tension between partners in Germany’s “traffic light” coalition had been building for months until it erupted into open conflict when the country’s budget for 2025 was being discussed.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner was dismissed from his post and accused the chancellor of “betraying his trust” and “putting the interests of his party above the interests of the country.” In response, Lindner blamed Scholz for “leading Germany into a phase of uncertainty.”
