German president calls for new election on Feb 23 after dissolving parliament.

The political scene in Germany has been shaken up by the recent collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition. After losing a confidence vote and firing his finance minister, Scholz now leads a minority government that is struggling to address the country's problems. In the face of this instability, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has made the decision to dissolve parliament and call for new elections on February 23.

Steinmeier explained his reasoning, stating that after consulting with party leaders, it was clear that there was no majority for a new government within the current parliament. He emphasized the importance of a stable and capable government during these challenging times and expressed his confidence that new elections were the best course of action for the country.

This decision falls on Steinmeier as the post-World War II constitution does not allow parliament to dissolve itself. He had 21 days to make the decision, and once parliament is dissolved, the election must be held within 60 days. The major parties have already agreed on the February 23 date, which is seven months earlier than originally planned.

Steinmeier also raised concerns about outside interference in the upcoming election, citing recent events in Romania where there were allegations of Russian involvement in promoting a far-right candidate. He urged for vigilance and protection against covert or blatant attempts to sway the election, referencing a specific platform known as "X."

The current polls show the conservative Union bloc led by Friedrich Merz in the lead, with Scholz's party trailing behind. Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck of the Greens has also thrown his hat in the ring, but his party is not as popular as the other two. It is likely that the next government will be led by Merz in a coalition with at least one other party.

Some of the key issues at the forefront of this election include immigration, revitalizing the economy, and supporting Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. The far-right party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is polling well, has nominated Alice Weidel as their candidate for chancellor. However, their chances of being elected are slim as other parties refuse to work with them.

Germany's electoral system typically results in coalition governments, and the upcoming election is not expected to produce a single party with a majority. As such, there will likely be weeks of negotiations following the election to form a new government. This is only the fourth time in history that the Bundestag has been dissolved ahead of schedule, with the last time being in 2005 when Gerhard Schroeder used a confidence vote to trigger an early election, which was narrowly won by Angela Merkel.

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