Berlin, 27 December 2024 (dpa/MIA) - German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is due to announce his decision on Friday as to whether to dissolve the country's lower house of parliament - the Bundestag - paving the way for early elections in February.

It is considered all but certain that Steinmeier will follow Chancellor Olaf Scholz's request to dissolve parliament.

Steinmeier will then set the date for the new election at the same time, and will probably name February 23.

The parliamentary leaders of the Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) and the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) had agreed on this date.

Scholz lost a vote of confidence in the Bundestag on December 16, after the coalition between the SPD, the Greens and the FDP broke up in November after only about three years.

Scholz deliberately set out to lose the vote. And, as he had intended, he did not receive a majority for his motion. He then asked Steinmeier to dissolve the Bundestag in accordance with Article 68 of Germany's constitution, or Basic Law.

Steinmeier then held talks with the leaders of the parliamentary groups and parties in the Bundestag. He wanted to find out whether there was still a way to achieve a stable political majority in the Bundestag. However, this never appeared to be a realistic option.

Article 39 stipulates of the Basic Law stipulates that a new election must take place within 60 days of the confidence vote.

Scholz's vote of confidence was only the sixth in the history of the post-war Federal Republic of Germany. In three cases, the Bundestag was subsequently dissolved.