German president dissolves parliament for Feb. 23 snap elections

FILE PHOTO: German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier holds a speech during the Remembrance Day ceremony at the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany November 17, 2024. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) -President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday dissolved Germany's lower house of parliament to pave the way for snap elections on Feb. 23 following the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-way coalition.

"Especially in difficult times, like now, stability requires a government capable of acting, and reliable majorities in parliament," which was why early elections were the right way forward for Germany, Steinmeier said in Berlin.