German Chancellor Scholz Loses No-Confidence Vote

Germany, Europe’s largest economy and normally a pillar of stability, is facing snap elections next year after Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a vote of confidence.

His government collapsed in November in a budget dispute but his coalition had been unsteady for months.

Scholz lost the vote, which he called himself as a step toward securing an early national election, with 394 ballots against him, 207 in his favor and 116 abstentions.

With the election date set for February 23 next year, here’s what’s at stake.

Who’s Running?

There will be seven major parties for which Germans will vote. Four of the seven have made official announcements about their Kanzlerkandidaten – candidates for chancellor.

The ever-present two dominant parties of German politics, the Christian Democrats (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU), unofficially known as the Union, make up one grouping. The Social Democrats, or SPD, form another.

Given the German system of proportional representation, the government tends to be formed in a coalition, usually headed by the CDU/CSU or the SPD.

The winner looks for a partner to form a majority. Since 2021, Scholz’s SPD had governed in an uneasy coalition with the liberal Free Democrats Party (FDP) and the Green Party. In the 16 years before Scholz’s three-party coalition, the CDU, under Angela Merkel, had relied on both the SPD and the FDP as partners in different governments.

The CDU/CSU this time around will be led by Friedrich Merz, and the SPD by the incumbent but deeply unpopular chancellor, Scholz.

The far-right Alternative for Deutschland party (AfD) has seen strong performances in regional elections give it a national boost. The party’s co-leader, Alice Weidel, is its Kanzlerkandidat. She is known for slick talking and populist policies, particularly on migration. She’s an ardent supporter of upholding traditional German values, famously saying “no one touch my schnitzel!” – a reference to the popular dish.

The Green Party should also be considered one to watch. It is unlikely to gather enough votes to be the biggest party, but nonetheless could play an important role in the formation of the next government. The Greens will be led by Robert Habeck, currently the nation’s Economics Minister.

Leonie von Randow, a political reporter at German broadcaster WELT TV who will be covering the election campaign, told CNN that Merz “knows a thing or two about the economy, and that is obviously something that many people care about. Many people hope (he) can move things forward.”

“The election is probably coming at a very good time for the AfD… this is a moment when many people are generally very unhappy with the government, so they kind of want to make a point and vote for an extreme party to show how unhappy they are,” von Randow told CNN.

CNN/Ejiofor Ezeifeoma