Berlin: Germany’s parliament accepted Chancellor Olaf Schulz’s call on Monday to withdraw its confidence in him and his government, prompting snap elections on February 23 after his government collapses. The way was cleared.
Schulz’s three-party coalition collapsed last month when the pro-market Free Democrats fell out over debt, leaving his Social Democrats and Greens without a parliamentary majority as Germany faces an economic crisis.
Under laws designed to prevent the instability that facilitated the rise of fascism in the 1930s, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier could dissolve parliament and call an election only if the chancellor passed a vote of confidence. Ask and lose.
Only 207 out of 733 members of the Parliament expressed confidence while 394 abstained.
Parliament Speaker Birbal Bas said that the motion has been approved.