Germany Heads to Snap Elections: Key Parties and Likely Outcomes
Germany Heads to Snap Elections: Key Parties and Likely Outcomes
Germany is heading to snap elections on February 23, after Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the SPD lost a confidence vote in the Bundestag. The conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), and the neoliberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) are set to unveil their election platforms on Tuesday. Scholz is expected to face his main opponent, conservative CDU leader Friedrich Merz, in at least two televised debates prior to the elections. The likely result of the vote is that Scholz is expected to lose the confidence vote, which could lead to snap elections on February 23. If Scholz loses, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will have 21 days to decide whether to dissolve parliament.