Germany’s federal elections on 23 February will be a crucial moment for the country. The elections were called following the collapse of the traffic-light coalition of the Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and Free Democrats (FDP) in November 2024. The German political landscape is getting more fragmented, making it difficult to predict the election outcome and the composition of the next government.
The traffic-light coalition faced numerous challenges during its tenure, including Russia’s war against Ukraine, an energy crisis, high inflation and an economic recession. These issues led to internal conflicts, culminating in Chancellor Olaf Scholz sacking Finance Minister Christian Lindner and the coalition’s eventual collapse. Scholz subsequently lost a vote of confidence in December 2024, prompting the snap election.
About the Author
Valentin Kreilinger is a Senior Researcher in Political Science at the Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies (SIEPS).