Berlin, 16 December 2024 (dpa/MIA) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is set to face a confidence vote in parliament on Monday, a motion he tabled after the collapse of his center-left coalition government to trigger early elections on Feb. 23.

Scholz, from the Social Democrats (SPD), who submitted the motion for the vote in the lower house, or Bundestag, last week, is all but certain to see support for his government withdrawn as it no longer holds a majority in parliament.

After the chancellor fired then-finance minister Christian Lindner of the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) in early November following months of fierce dispute over the 2025 budget, the junior partner left the three-party coalition, leaving Scholz in a minority government with the Greens.

Scholz plans to ask parliament to vote on the confidence motion at 1 pm (1200 GMT), with lawmakers scheduled to cast their ballots following a debate at around 3:30 pm.

For the motion to pass, 367 lawmakers would have to vote in Scholz's favor.

While the 207 SPD lawmakers in parliament have said they will back Scholz, the Greens have recommended their 117 lawmakers abstain, to avoid the unlikely scenario that Scholz is forced to continue, which would plunge the country into further political turmoil.

One lawmaker from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has already said he would vote for Scholz.

If lawmakers vote to withdraw confidence from Scholz, he will immediately ask President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to dissolve parliament and call early elections some seven months earlier than originally planned.

The President then has 21 days to make that decision, a step which is considered a formality as he has already signalled support for the Feb. 23 date proposed by Scholz.