German government collapsed: Olaf Scholz's coalition has collapsed, opening the way for snap elections

The Bundestag voted no-confidence in the government of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, paving the way for the dissolution of parliament and early elections in Germany, the president of the Bundestag announced.

367 votes were necessary for the survival of Scholz's government, reports AP. This outcome of the vote paves the way for holding extraordinary elections in February 2025, which should lead Germany out of the political crisis.

The session of the German Bundestag today had one item on the agenda - a vote of confidence in the government. Chancellor Olaf Scholz initiated this process in order to call new elections for February 23, 2025.

He did so by sacking his finance minister, Christian Lindner, last month. This led to Lindner's Free Democrats (Liberals) leaving the government, depriving it of the majority it needed to function.

After three hours of debate in the Bundestag, the MPs voted on the confidence in the government. Scholz planned to lose the vote to pave the way for a new election on February 23.

He appears to have the votes he needs to ask President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to dissolve parliament later in the day. The dramatic development of events followed several months of conflicts over fiscal priorities and ideological differences that became too difficult and burdensome for the "traffic light coalition" composed of three parties to survive.

The center-left Social Democrats and the environmentally-minded Greens will continue to lead the EU's biggest economy until a new government is formed, likely in the spring.

Alice Weidel, leader of the far-right AfD (Alternative for Germany), took the stand by repeating Merz's accusation that Scholz should have called a confidence vote immediately after the government fell last month.

She attacked Scholz's coalition for running a bad migration policy and demanded the "immediate" return of Syrian refugees from Germany.

Weidel accused the leading parties that supported sending military aid to Ukraine to make Germany a potential "target" for a nuclear attack by Russia. Many MPs left their seats when Weidel began her speech.