German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he is open to the possibility of convening vote of confidence in the Bundestag before Christmas, reported DPA, quoted by BTA.
"It is no problem for me to call a vote of confidence before Christmas if everyone agrees," Scholz told public broadcaster AER De.
The chancellor had initially said he would hold the vote in January after his coalition collapsed, but this sparked a heated debate with calls for it to be held earlier, particularly from the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party. A vote of confidence is required to proceed with elections.
Scholz notes that he, as chancellor, will have to formally initiate this step. However, he added that he would abide by any agreement between the parliamentary leader of his Social Democrats, Rolf Mutzenich, and Friedrich Merz, who heads the opposition CDU/CSU parliamentary group.
However, the necessary democratic steps and technical preparation for holding new elections must always be taken into account, emphasizes Scholz.
"None of us, not you, not me, not anyone else, wants something like Berlin to happen and have to repeat the election," said the chancellor, recalling the 2021 fiasco. which necessitated the partial repetition of the elections in the province.