German president dissolves parliament, snap elections due in Feb.

Steinmeier announced in Berlin that the snap elections will be held on Feb. 23.

BERLIN, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday dissolved the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, paving the way for early federal elections.

Steinmeier announced in Berlin that the snap elections will be held on Feb. 23, as previously agreed by major political parties.

This announcement came after Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a vote of confidence in the Bundestag on Dec. 16. Scholz recommended the Bundestag's dissolution after the confidence vote.

In November, Scholz lost the majority in the parliament after Finance Minister Christian Lindner and other ministers from the Free Democratic Party left the ruling coalition due to lasting disagreements over tax allocation, economic stimulus measures, and investment funding.

On Friday, Steinmeier stressed that a capable government with a reliable parliamentary majority is needed during these challenging times. He said that new elections are the appropriate course of action for the country's benefit.

Highlighting challenges such as economic uncertainties, regional conflicts, immigration issues, and climate change, the president urged politicians to focus on finding solutions to these pressing matters.

Under Germany's Basic Law, the president can dissolve the parliament at the request of the chancellor, following a failed vote of confidence.

A recent public opinion survey showed declining support for Scholz's Social Democratic Party. According to this Monday's RTL/ntv trend barometer conducted by the Forsa Institute, the conservative union of CDU/CSU has gained one percentage point in approval rating from a week earlier, reaching 31 percent support. The far-right AfD remains in second place with 19 percent support. However, the ruling Social Democratic Party has dropped one point to 16 percent. ■