Germany's Scholz considers earlier elections as pressure mounts for confidence vote

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz may consider holding elections sooner than planned. This comes amid pressure from various politicians, including members of his own coalition, who are advocating for a confidence vote in December. Green lawmaker Anton Hofreiter and others argue that an earlier vote would clarify the political situation before the holidays. Opposition leader Friedrich Merz has also called for a quick confidence vote, accusing Scholz of holding onto power. Scholz, whose party currently trails in the polls, stated that he believes his Social Democratic Party has a good chance in a new election. He emphasized that the situation is complex and not straightforward.