German Chancellor Olaf Scholz faced mounting pressure on Sunday to expedite a vote of confidence in parliament, which would set the stage for snap elections following the disintegration of his governing coalition.
Two prominent members of the Green party, which is in a minority government with Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD), urged Bild newspaper for an earlier confidence vote in December, contrary to the chancellor's plan for January.
The collapse of Scholz's three-way coalition and disputes over government spending to boost growth and support Ukraine plunged Europe's largest economy into turmoil last week. Green party members Anton Hofreiter and Irene Mihalic have been the most vocal advocates for an earlier vote among the remaining governing parties. A confidence vote is essential before an election can be held.
Scholz proposed a confidence vote on January 15, with snap elections in March, but the conservative opposition, led by Friedrich Merz, is pushing for an election in January.
Hofreiter told Bild, "Olaf Scholz should call a vote of confidence in December so that everything can be clarified before Christmas and the New Year."
Scholz and the SPD did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Scholz was scheduled to address the nation in a televised interview later on Sunday.
On Friday, Scholz called for a calm debate among Germany's political factions to determine the date for snap elections, aiming to resolve the country's political crisis. He urged parties to agree on legislation that could be passed in the remaining time of the current parliament but denied attempting to push through his policy agenda by delaying an election.
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