German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote in parliament earlier this month after his government lost its legislative majority with the departure of Finance Minister Christian Lindner’s Free Democrats.
EXCESSIVE REGULATIONS WERE GIVEN THE REASON
The vote also kicked off the election campaign in earnest, with conservative rival Friedrich Merz, who according to polls is likely to replace Scholz, claiming that the current government is imposing excessive regulations and hindering growth.
CONSERVATIVES APPEAR TO BE AHEAD
The Conservatives have a comfortable lead of more than 10 points over the SPD in most polls. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is slightly ahead of Scholz’s party, while the Greens are in fourth place.
Mainstream parties refuse to form a government with the AfD, but its presence complicates parliamentary arithmetic and makes difficult coalitions more likely to form.