Germany calls early elections amid political crisis
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced on Friday the dissolution of Parliament and officially scheduled early elections for February 23, following the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s governing coalition and a motion of no confidence against him, as reported by AFP.
"Political stability in Germany is rightly a great advantage," said the head of state in a speech.
According to polls, the conservative opposition is the frontrunner in these elections, ahead of the far-right AfD and Chancellor Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), as reported by Agerpres.
This campaign, starting seven months earlier than initially planned, takes place amid a deep crisis affecting Europe’s largest economy, once a model of political stability, while its key EU partner, France, is also weakened by the lack of a parliamentary majority.
Steinmeier expressed hope that the upcoming election campaign would help find "the best solutions to the challenges of our time," chief among them being "the uncertain economic situation, with companies struggling and jobs at risk."
Among other major concerns for Germany, Steinmeier mentioned "the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine," as well as "issues related to immigration and integration, and climate change, the consequences of which are increasingly affecting us."
Translation by Iurie Tataru
