German President Approves Parliamentary Election Plan as Chancellor Scholz and Opposition Agree on Date

German Chancellor Scholz and the opposition have agreed on a date for early elections, and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has approved a plan for new parliamentary elections in Germany on 23 February 2025.

This was reported by DW.

The snap election, scheduled for 23 February, was triggered by the collapse of Germany's ruling coalition government last week, when Chancellor Scholz fired his finance minister. Scholz succumbed to political pressure and agreed to hold the elections a month earlier than he had originally proposed. In mid-December, Scholz intends to hold a vote of confidence, which he is expected to lose, according to DW.

In his turn, President Steinmeier approved the plan of the government coalition factions and the opposition conservative bloc to call early parliamentary elections. Based on ‘current estimates,’ he considers ‘February 23, 2025 to be the realistic date for new elections,’ his office said in a statement the day before.

The German president also ‘welcomes the fact that parliamentary groups have agreed on a roadmap for a confidence vote’ on 16 December.

He also ‘made it clear that if the Bundestag withdraws its confidence in the chancellor, he will quickly decide to dissolve the government’.

According to the Basic Law, the German president has the right to dissolve the Bundestag and call new elections.