German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said that he will ask for a vote of confidence on December 16, paving the way for early parliamentary elections in February.

The German leader confirmed his plan during a speech in parliament on Wednesday, a week after his three-party coalition government collapsed.

“The date at the end of February has now been set and I am very grateful for that,” Scholz said, adding that he would try to pass important legislation through parliament before that, such as financial support for children of poor families, or amendments to the country’s constitution to make the highest court more resilient to possible political interference.

He said he would submit a request for a vote of confidence on December 11, so that the Bundestag can decide on this on December 16. The chancellor had initially wanted to have an early election only by late March – in advance of the vote that is regularly scheduled for September 2025.

However, the centre-right Christian opposition pushed for a quicker vote in the parliament to speed up the next election.

In the end, party leaders across the political spectrum agreed on Wednesday on the two dates for the vote of confidence and the new election on February 23.

During his speech, Scholz, as well as the head of the opposition Christian Democrats, Friedrich Merz, had already shifted into campaign mode – though the heated part of campaigning usually only begins about six weeks before an election in Germany.

“There is a great sense of relief in our country. For a week now, the so-called progressive coalition … has been history. And that is continuing good news for Germany,” Merz said to the applause of his Christian Democrats as he spoke after Scholz in the parliament.

“You are dividing the country, Mr Chancellor. You are the one responsible for these controversies and for this division in Germany,” Merz attacked Scholz in his speech. “You simply cannot govern a country like this.”

He accused the chancellor of having tried to delay the vote of confidence and said he should have called for one immediately.