Olaf Scholz has lost a vote of confidence in his leadership and Germany now faces its first election of the truly post-Angela Merkel era.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has lost a confidence vote in the German parliament, putting the European Union’s most populous member and biggest economy on course to hold an early election in February.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has reiterated that he wants to continue talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone, despite the criticism from Kiev and other Western leaders. "I have spoken to the Russian president and I will speak to him again,

Polls suggest that a February election will result in a rightward shift, at a moment when Europe’s largest economy is faltering.

Germany is a center of global innovation. Its engineering prowess is second to none. Companies like Siemens, BMW, Bosch, and SAP have a commitment to technical innovation that has put them at the forefront of the global economy for over fifty years.

Olaf Scholz is out, but it is unclear if that is enough to save Germany's economic position. Business needs to reinvent itself to catchup with China and the USA.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a no-confidence vote Monday in the country's Parliament, paving the way for a snap election in February next year. Confidence votes in Germany are relatively rare.

The German parliament accepted Chancellor Olaf Scholz's invitation to withdraw its confidence in him and his government on Monday, clearing the way for the Feb. 23 early election necessitated by the collapse of his government.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had hoped for this outcome when he called for the confidence vote, analysts say. His aim: to win fresh elections in February and come back with a stronger mandate.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany called for the confidence vote after his three-party coalition broke up. Lawmakers voted to dissolve the existing government by a vote of 394 to 207, with 116 abstaining.