Germany sets snap election date for February 2025 after coalition collapse

Germany will hold a snap federal election on February 23, 2025. This date follows a compromise between Chancellor Olaf Scholz and opposition leader Friedrich Merz after Scholz's coalition government collapsed last week. Scholz plans to conduct a vote of confidence before Christmas, which will set the stage for the election. Initially, he aimed for a confidence vote on January 15, but pressure from other party leaders led to the earlier date. Current polls show Merz's conservative party leading with 32 percent support, while Scholz's party is at 16 percent, trailing the far-right AfD.