The ruling coalition in Germany has collapsed, leading to the announcement of early elections to be held in February.

• According to sources within the parliamentary group of Scholz' social democratic party (SPD), Germany is scheduled to hold a federal election on Feb. 23.
• Earlier than what Chancellor Olaf Scholz had originally proposed after his ruling coalition collapsed last week.
• Last week, the three-year-old ruling alliance between Scholz' SPD, the Green party, and the FDP fell apart after the chancellor removed former Finance Minister Christian Lindner.

A federal election in Germany is scheduled for February, earlier than Chancellor Olaf Scholz had initially planned after his government fell apart last Wednesday.

Last week, Scholz suggested an election in March by indicating that he would conduct a confidence vote in January.

According to sources within Scholz' social democratic party (SPD), the election is scheduled to take place on Feb. 23.

The chancellor must first call for a confidence vote in parliament before early elections can take place in Germany. If the majority of Bundestag members vote that they no longer have confidence in the chancellor, he can then suggest a dissolution of parliament to the German president. The confidence vote is now reportedly due to take place on Dec. 16.

The president has 21 days to decide on the move that will lead to an election, which must occur within 60 days of parliament's dissolution, and the president has the power to set the election date.

Scholz faced pressure to hold an election sooner, but authorities warned of logistical difficulties and organizational risks if there wasn't enough time before the election date.

Last week, the three-year ruling coalition between Scholz' social democratic party (SPD), the Green party, and the free democratic party (FDP) collapsed after the chancellor removed former Finance Minister Christian Lindner. He was replaced by Jörg Kukies, who was appointed as the new finance minister on Nov. 7.

The coalition breakdown occurred after several months of disagreements between the three former political allies regarding economic and budget policies, which Scholz and Lindner cited as the primary reasons for the collapse. The exact date and method of finalizing a 2025 budget are still uncertain.

Germany will have a minority government led by Scholz' SPD and the Green party until the election in February, with the chancellor aiming to pass some laws in the remaining months of his term.

The focus will soon shift to campaigning, with some parties already announcing their lead candidates for chancellor and others, such as the SPD, still in the process of selecting their candidates. Additionally, some parties have already shared their potential policy plans with local media.