German leader to seek December confidence vote, paving way for early election

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to ask for a vote of confidence in his government on December 16, paving the way for a new parliamentary election as early as February (Markus Schreiber/AP)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to ask for a vote of confidence in his government on December 16, paving the way for a new parliamentary election as early as February, German media reported on Tuesday.

The expected vote in the Bundestag would come well ahead of original plans, marking a step to reach a compromise between Mr Scholz’s party, the Social Democrats, and the main opposition party in parliament, the centre-right Christian conservatives.