Scholz seeks vote of confidence, Germany towards early elections

Five weeks after his ruling three-party coalition failed due to disagreements over how to revive the country's stalled economy, Scholz's office said it has applied for confidence votes in Bundestag for next Monday.

The goal is to hold parliamentary elections on February 23rd, seven months earlier than the time of regular elections.

Scholz is not expected to survive the vote of confidence Monday.

His party, the Social Democrats, has 207 deputies in Bundestag, while its remaining coalition partners -- the Green -- have 117. This means that the Scholz government does not enjoy the majority in Parliament by 733 seats.

Reliance is necessary because Germany's Constitution does not allow Parliament to go away on its own.

If Scholzi loses his confidence vote, it's up to President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to decide whether to dismantle Bundestag. He has 21 days to make that decision, and once parliament is dissolved, elections must be held within 60 days.

Polls show that Scholzi's party is behind the main opposition party, Friedrich Merzi's Union bloc. Vice President Robert Habeck, whose Greens are still behind, will compete for Chancellorship as well.

The far-right party, the Alternative for Germany, which is marking growth in the polls, has nominated Alice Weidelin for Chancellorships, but she is unlikely of this post because other parties do not want to co-operate with this party. / REL