Two out of three Germans want early elections as soon as possible following the implosion of the governing coalition, according to a poll published on Friday by the ARD television channel, whereas Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to wait until March.
Out of 1,065 voters polled, 65% want the Chancellor, who lost his majority following the departure of the liberal FDP party from his coalition, to submit to a vote of confidence in the Chamber of Deputies without delay so that general elections can be held in early 2025, according to the survey by the Infratest Dimap Institute.
This is also the wish of the conservative opposition CDU, in pole position in the polls with 34% of voting intentions, and of the FDP, the party of former finance minister Christian Lindner, sacked by Scholz on Wednesday because of profound disagreements over the country's economic policy.
Conversely, 33% of respondents support Olaf Scholz's plan to hold the vote of confidence only on 15 January, which would mean elections would be held in March, six months before the date initially planned.
If Scholz fails to win a majority of votes, which now seems inevitable, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will have 21 days to dissolve the Bundestag and new elections will have to be held within 60 days after that.
