Displaying items by tag: no confidence vote

The chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has lost a vote of no confidence in the German parliament, resulting in an early election which will take place on 23 February. Although he expected the loss, Scholz saw this as an opportunity to rejuvenate his party’s fortunes; after the collapse of his three-party coalition government in November, his minority administration has struggled to pass legislation. His Social Democratic Party (SDP) is lagging in the polls, while the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) seems poised to return to power. Following the vote, the president has 21 days to dissolve parliament. This early election campaign will focus on key issues such as the economy, immigration, and taxes. The rise of radical parties, like the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) which is currently polling at almost 20%, adds complexity to coalition-building efforts, as the mainstream parties struggle to form a stable government.

Prime minister Michel Barnier has been ousted in a historic no-confidence vote, leading to the collapse of his government. The motion follows his controversial use of special powers to pass a budget without parliamentary approval. The budget, which aimed to reduce the deficit by €60 billion, faced criticism from both the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) and far-right National Rally (RN); Marine Le Pen, RN leader, called it ‘toxic for the French’. This has plunged France into deeper political instability; no new parliamentary elections can be held until July, so the current deadlock in the Assembly - where no group has a working majority - is set to continue. Barnier, appointed by Emmanuel Macron just three months ago, has presented his government’s resignation, but will continue for now in a caretaker capacity. Macron’s presidency remains intact, but pressure on him is mounting.