German president dissolves parliament, election to be held on Feb 23

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier dissolved the parliament on Friday (Dec 27), confirming the date for early general election: February 23, 2025.

In his speech, Steinmeier said, "I have decided to dissolve the 20th German Bundestag to fix the date for an early election for February 23rd."

This came after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s governing coalition.

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He further added that "political stability in Germany is a precious asset.

On December 16, Scholz lost a confidence vote after his coalition collapsed on November 6 when he dismissed his finance minister over dispute how to boost the stagnant economy of the country.

The leaders of major parties have mutually agreed that a parliamentary election should take place on February 23, seven months before it was originally planned.

Since post-World War II, Germany's constitution does not allow the Bundestag (German parliament) to dissolve itself. It was completely Steinmeier's decision to dissolve it and call the election. The president had 21 days to make the decision. As per the rules, once the parliament is dissolved, the election must be held within 60 days.

The key issues of the election include immigration, improving the sluggish economy, and aid to Ukraine in the war with Russia.

The anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfP) has named Alice Weidel as its candidate for chancellor. But his luck in winning the polls does not seem good as other parties have refused to work with him.

Germany’s electoral system is capable of producing coalitions on its own and polls show no party nowhere near an absolute majority on its own.

This is the fourth time the parliament has been dissolved since post-World War II. Lat it happened in 2005.

(With inputs from agencies)