German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday he was ready to negotiate the date of a vote of confidence in his government, following the collapse of his three-party coalition.
In Budapest, Scholz said before an informal EU summit: “We must discuss the date as calmly as possible.”
Scholz has proposed holding the confidence vote in the Bundestag, the German parliament, on January 15. This would likely mean new elections in March.
However, opposition parties have called for the vote to take place as soon as possible, even next week, so that new elections can be held sooner.
The chancellor said he wanted Germany’s democratic parties to reach an agreement on “what laws can still be passed this year” before agreeing on a date for the confidence vote.
