Scholz Announces Confidence Question

Scholz's Move

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced on Wednesday that he will face a vote of confidence in the Bundestag on Thursday. The move comes after Scholz's coalition government lost its majority in the Bundesrat, the upper house of parliament, last week.

In a statement, Scholz said that he was "determined to continue governing" and that he believed he had the support of the majority of the Bundestag. He added that he would be "seeking a new mandate from the Bundestag" in order to "restore stability" to the government.

Background

The Bundesrat is composed of representatives from Germany's 16 states. The government needs a majority in the Bundesrat in order to pass legislation. Scholz's coalition government lost its majority in the Bundesrat last week when the Free Democratic Party (FDP) withdrew its support.

The FDP is a junior partner in Scholz's coalition government. The party has been critical of Scholz's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and has also called for tax cuts.

Implications

If Scholz loses the vote of confidence in the Bundestag, he will be forced to resign as chancellor. This would trigger a new election, which could result in a change of government.

A vote of confidence is a rare event in German politics. The last time a chancellor faced a vote of confidence was in 1982, when Helmut Schmidt lost the vote and was forced to resign.