Germany sets early elections for Feb. 23

BERLIN

Germany's governing parties and the main opposition reached an agreement to hold early elections on Feb. 23, 2025, party officials announced Tuesday.

Rolf Mutzenich, parliamentary group leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), told reporters that they agreed with the main opposition Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) on how to proceed in setting the date.

"We have reached an agreement that the chancellor will initiate a vote of confidence in writing on Dec. 11. Subsequently, on Dec. 16, the vote of confidence will take place in parliament," he said.

Mutzenich added that the agreement paves the way for holding early elections in February, which would give enough time for the parties to discuss important legislation that needs to be passed by parliament before its dissolution.

The agreement came less than a week after the sudden collapse of Chancellor Scholz’s three-way coalition with the Greens and liberal Free Democrats (FDP) due to intense disputes concerning economic policy.

Scholz suggested last week that he could call for a vote of confidence in January, potentially leading to early elections in March. The opposition Christian Democrats, however, insisted that early elections should be held in February at the latest.

Following the compromise, the final decision on the election date will rest with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who plays a crucial role in the process of dissolving parliament and setting new elections.

The German Constitution says early elections can be triggered if the chancellor loses a vote of confidence in parliament, or Bundestag, and the president dissolves parliament following the chancellor’s request.