German chancellor's last remaining coalition ally makes his move before expected early election

BERLIN — Germany's economy minister said Friday that he hopes to become his Green Party's chancellor in the upcoming election.

The announcement by Robert Habeck, who is also vice chancellor, follows the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition on Wednesday.

The Greens are a small party that lost popularity in recent elections and whose support currently hovers around 10%. Germany’s opposition center-right is leading in the polls.

It is therefore unlikely that Habeck could end up as the country's leader. His move, however, indicates how German politicians are gearing up for an early election after the collapse of the coalition.

“I am applying as a candidate for the Greens, for the people of Germany,” Habeck said in a video posted on X. “If you want, also as chancellor. But that is not my decision, that is your decision. Only you can decide that.”

Scholz indicated plans for a timeline that could bring an early election by late March — before the vote that is regularly scheduled for September 2025.

However, the opposition is calling for an immediate confidence vote in the parliament to speed that up. Industry leaders are also among those saying that Germany needs a stable government in place soon, as the economy struggles and as Europe prepares for a change of leadership in the United States.

Scholz on Friday said that he's willing to talk about the timing of a vote of confidence and the subsequent new election. He said consultations were taking place with stakeholders, including groups in the German Bundestag and constitutional bodies, in order “to take into account what the others think and mean.”

“I believe that we will soon achieve good results, at least that would be my hope," he said on the sidelines of a meeting in Budapest.

Habeck hopes to be nominated at a party conference in Wiesbaden next week. He doesn't appear to have serious contenders after Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced this summer that she didn't want to pursue a candidacy for chancellor.

Germany has been governed since 2021 by a coalition led by Scholz's Social Democrats and which included the smaller pro-business Free Democrats and the environmental Greens.

It has been an uneasy and fractious alliance, and it collapsed Wednesday when Scholz fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the Free Democrats in a late-night move following disagreements over how to revive the shrinking economy.

Scholz said that he hoped to lead the country with a minority government and call for an confidence vote in parliament in mid-January.