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Written by Thomas Escritt
BERLIN (Reuters) – Chancellor Olaf Scholz calls on the German parliament on Monday to declare a vote of no confidence in him, in the first official step towards securing early elections after the collapse of his government.
The departure last month of the neoliberal Free Democrats from the tripartite coalition has left Schulz's Social Democrats and Greens governing without a parliamentary majority as Germany faces its deepest economic crisis in a generation.
The rules, put in place to prevent a series of short-lived and unstable governments that played an important role in helping the Nazis come to power in the 1930s, mean the road to new elections is long and largely controlled by the chancellor.
“If lawmakers follow the path I recommend, I will propose to the president to dissolve Parliament,” Schulz told reporters on Wednesday after he requested the motion.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he would act accordingly after Monday's vote and agreed with parliamentary parties on February 23 as the date for early elections.
Assuming the vote of no confidence passes, Schulz and his ministers will remain in their acting positions until a new government is formed, which could take months if coalition negotiations are long.
Schulz outlined a list of measures that could be passed with opposition support during that period, including 11 billion euros ($11.55 billion) in tax cuts and an increase in child benefits that have already been agreed upon by former coalition partners.
Measures to better protect the Constitutional Court from future populist or anti-democratic government machinations, lowering energy prices and extending the popular subsidized transport ticket, are also being discussed.
The outcome of the vote is no longer certain, with Schulz's Social Democratic Party likely to vote confidence in his chancellor, while the opposition conservatives, who are leading by a large margin in the opinion polls, and the Free Democrats are expected not to do so.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), with which all other parties refuse to work, could surprise lawmakers with a vote of confidence in Schulz.
If both the SPD and the Greens backed Schulz, it would put him in the awkward position of remaining in office with the support of a party that rejects him as anti-democratic. In this case, most observers expect that he will resign, which in itself will lead to elections.
To avoid this scenario, many lawmakers expect the Green Party to abstain.
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