The German president has dissolved the parliament for February 23 snap election by Reuters

BERLIN (Reuters) – President Frank-Walter Steinmeier dissolved Germany’s lower house to hold snap elections on Feb. 23 following the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s tripartite coalition.

“Especially in difficult times, like now, stability requires a functioning government and a reliable majority in parliament.”

After the election, solving problems should be the main task of politics again, Steinmeier added in his speech.

The president, who was largely ceremonial during his tenure after the war, also called for the election campaign to be conducted in a fair and transparent manner.

“Foreign influence is a danger to democracy, whether it’s covert, as seen in the recent Romanian election, or overt and transparent, especially in the way it’s being done on (social media) Platform X,” he said.

Scholes, a member of the Social Democrats until a new one was formed, lost a vote of confidence in parliament earlier this month after Finance Minister Christian Lindner’s Free Democrats resigned.

The election kicks off the election campaign with a bang, with conservative challenger Friedrich Merz, who polls suggest could replace Scholes, saying the incumbent government has imposed excessive laws and stifled growth.

The conservatives hold a comfortable lead of more than 10 points over the Social Democrats (SPD) in most polls. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is slightly ahead of the SPD, with coalition partner the Greens in fourth place.

The main parties have refused to lead with the AfD, but its presence complicates the parliamentary calculus, making shaky coalitions even worse.