Germany divided as Scholz hands voters power to steer political path

Germans will go to the polls in a vote to elect a new chancellor on February 23. It follows Friday's activities that saw Olaf Scholz call and lose a vote of confidence in his minority government.

Two hundred and seven MPs sided with the Chancellor. However, 394 voted against him with 116 abstentions.

It was the outcome Scholz had planned and expected. Members of the German parliament, the Bundestag, said they had no confidence in his ability to lead the country in a minority government made up of his Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens.

It came after the third member of a coalition that had ruled since December 2021, the Free Democrats, pulled out of the government last month. That followed the sacking of finance minister Christian Lindner after his relationship with Scholz became untenable.  

It's been a rocky few years where agreements across the cabinet table had been few and far between, particularly when it came to finances.

Addressing the Bundestag ahead of the vote, Scholz maintained he was the right man to lead Germany.

"Bringing forward the Bundestag elections is also my goal. In this election, the citizens can then determine the political course of our country. That is the point. That is why I am putting the question of confidence to the voters today," Scholz said.

He used his time to address parliament to start the reelection campaign. Among the areas in which the incumbent Chancellor said he was the right leader for Germany was defense. He told MPs he was prepared to deal with the impact of the conflict in Ukraine.

"This is hitting our globally networked economy harder than others," he added. "Today, a highly armed nuclear power is waging war in Europe just a two-hour flight from here.  

"We must invest massively in our security and defence to meet these challenges. Today we are confronted with serious economic upheavals: energy crisis, isolationism, unfair competition. This is hitting our globally networked economy harder than others."

Opposition leaders used their time in the chamber before the vote to slam Scholz's record. Friedrich Merz of the CDU was deeply critical of the Chancellor.

"It is embarrassing how you behave at the European level. You are an embarrassment to Germany. It's embarrassing to see how you behave in the European Union. And then your energy policies," he said.

The most recent polling in Germany shows the CDU, headed by Merz as the most likely to win the largest share of the vote in February.

However, it is the formation of a coalition that may prove harder than winning the most votes.

The far right AFD and, to a lesser extent, the new populist left party, the BSW, have both seen a recent surge in the polls. Another coalition government made up of multiple parties could be on the cards, along with all the issues that brings.