(Adnkronos) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will not put the confidence question to Parliament on Wednesday, as requested by the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU). This was clarified today by German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, who also pointed out that the chancellor will decide the date of the confidence vote himself if an agreement is not reached with the conservatives.
If the main opposition force is not interested in reaching an agreement, “then the chancellor must decide and then call a vote of confidence,” the spokesman added. Scholz’s coalition, made up of Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals, broke up last Wednesday following strong disagreements over the 2025 budget. Scholz, now head of a minority government after the exit of the Liberals (FDP), announced his intention to call a vote of confidence on January 15 to bring forward the general election to March.
Yesterday, however, the head of government said he was ready to call for a vote of confidence before Christmas. Scholz invited the parliamentary groups of the Bundestag to discuss a date and the possibility of approving the pending bills before the elections. The CDU/CSU rejects this proposal and is pushing for the vote of confidence to be called as soon as possible. “Scholz shouldn’t create any further confusion now, but quickly call a vote of confidence”, requested Christian Democrat leader Thorsten Frei, speaking with ‘Bild’. However, this will not happen on Wednesday, as proposed by Friedrich Merz, president of the CDU, assured the government spokesman. “I can assure you that the chancellor will not call a vote of confidence on Wednesday”, on the occasion of the next session of the Bundestag for government communications.
