German President Steinmeier dissolves parliament, sets country's snap elections for Feb 23

Scholz will remain in office as a caretaker chancellor until a new government is formed, which could take several months

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday dissolved the country's lower house of parliament. Reuters

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier dissolved the country’s lower house of parliament on Friday (December 27), setting the stage for snap elections on February 23 after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition.

Confirming the February 23 date for the election, Steinmeier emphasised a need for “political stability” and appealed for the campaign to be “conducted with respect and decency”.

Steinmeier also said he wanted “the campaign to be conducted with fair and transparent means” and warned of the dangers of “foreign influence… which is particularly intense on X,” the Elon Musk-owned social media platform.

“Hatred and violence must have no place in this election campaign, nor denigration or intimidation… all this is poison for democracy,” he added.

The German president further reminded political parties and voters of the challenges the next government will face given the “economically unstable situation… the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine” as well as debates over climate change and immigration.

The move followed a confidence vote earlier this month in which Scholz lost parliamentary support. His government was left without a majority after Finance Minister Christian Lindner’s Free Democrats withdrew from the coalition.

The announcement marks the start of a heated election campaign. Conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz, widely seen as the frontrunner to replace Scholz, criticised the outgoing government for what he called excessive regulation and a failure to promote economic growth.

Polls show the conservatives holding a lead of more than 10 percentage points over Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats (SPD). The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is also polling ahead of the SPD, while the Greens remain in fourth place.

Mainstream parties have ruled out governing with the AfD, complicating the formation of a stable government and increasing the likelihood of unwieldy coalition arrangements.

Scholz will remain in office as a caretaker chancellor until a new government is formed, which could take several months.