Xinhua reported that on the afternoon of March 25 (local time), German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier officially dismissed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and 14 of his cabinet ministers.
However, the presidential office said that Steinmeier had asked Scholz and his government to continue running until a new one replaced it.
negotiations to form a ruling coalition are ongoing. The conservative coalition, consisting of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU), won the 2025 general election in Germany, followed by the Social Democratic Party (SPD). This result paves the way for a coalition government between CDU/CSU and SPD.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz is expected to head the new government. Mr. Merz expressed his desire to form a government before the Resurrection.
According to Article 69 of the Basic Law, the German Constitution, the term-of-term government will be officially dismissed after the new federal parliament (Bundestag) is established.
Also on 25 March, Julia Kloeckner - a member of CDU - was elected the new chairwoman of the Bundestag.
Ms. Kloeckner was a member of the Bundestag from 2002 to 2011, holding the position of Secretary of State at the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection from 2009 to 2011. In 2021, she returned to Budenstag.
The Bundestag presidential election took place in the first session of the 21st National Assembly on March 25, after the February 2025 general election. This session marked the end of the previous parliamentary term, and the Bundestag also approved its working regulations.
