German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is under increasing pressure from rival parties to accelerate plans for a general election, with conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz calling for a crucial vote to set the process going as early as Wednesday.
Following the collapse of the ruling coalition when the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) pulled out of the arrangement with Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens, Scholz had announced plans to call a vote of confidence in January, ahead of a possible election in March.
However Merz – the head of Germany’s conservative opposition Christian Democrats (CDU) and also the head of the parliamentary bloc that includes the CDU’s Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) – is leading calls for the election to be brought forward, telling the magazine Stern that a planned parliamentary address by Scholz on Wednesday would be a “good opportunity” for a confidence vote in his now minority government.
Scholz is almost certain to lose the vote, which will trigger a snap election. Merz is pushing for a January date for the election.
The FDP is meanwhile also renewing its calls on Scholz to clear the way for a new election after its coalition exit.
In addition, Scholz’s coalition allies have since shown openness for an earlier election, with outgoing Green Party leader Omid Nouripour telling the Sunday edition of tabloid Bild: “We Greens could also live with an earlier date.”
Poor polling for Scholz
As things stand, Scholz’s party looks set to make losses at an election. Polling published by the Sunday edition of Bild put the CDU/CSU on 32%, with the SPD in third place and trailing on 15%.
Second place was taken by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on 19%, but the CDU/CSU has rejected any possibility of a coalition with them.
Over the weekend, attention turned to Germany’s stock of paper for ballots, following a claim from Germany’s electoral commission that an accelerated election could lead to problems.
In a letter to Scholz, Federal Election Commissioner Ruth Brand said there could be “incalculable risks” from tighter deadlines, pointing to possible problems with the procurement of paper. She also warned of other logistical challenges such as the appointment of electoral committees, the recruitment and training of election assistants and the organization of polling stations.
Brand said she wants to make full use of the legally stipulated 60-day deadline “in order to be able to take all necessary measures in a legally secure and timely manner.”
Germany’s paper industry later dismissed risks of shortages, with Managing Director of the German Paper Industry Association Alexander von Reibnitz telling broadcaster ZDF: “If we order in good time, we can supply the paper needed for an early general election.”
CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann accused Brand of allowing herself to be used to justify a delayed election, which Brand later dismissed.
SPD: Election timing debate ‘too emotional’
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil then said the election timing debate was getting overheated. “I think this debate is being blown way out of proportion, too emotional,” the party leader told dpa.
On Monday, the federal and state electoral authorities are set to discuss preparations for early elections to the lower house of parliament, or Bundestag.
The remaining coalition parties now want to hold a special public meeting of the election review committee as early as Tuesday to discuss the earliest feasible timing with the returning officer who oversees statewide German elections, according to a request to Bundestag President Bärbel Bas seen by dpa.
The governing coalition collapsed on Wednesday after Scholz fired his finance minister, FDP leader Christian Lindner, leaving just the SPD and the Greens of Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck in government.
Scholz’s fractious coalition had been beset by wrangling since its formation in December 2021. The need to agree a budget for next year finally ruptured the alliance. Any coalition put together by Merz is likely to face similar difficulties.
