German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced the dissolution of the country's lower house of parliament.
He explained his decision by the holding of early elections on February 23 after the collapse of Scholz's three-party coalition.
Before this, Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a vote of no confidence in parliament following the resignation of Finance Minister Christian Lindner, Reuters emphasizes.
His government was left without a legislative majority in the legislature.
For this reason, voting turned into election campaigning.
Conservative candidate Friedrich Merz is the candidate most likely to succeed Scholz.
Experts note that the Conservatives have a significant advantage over the SPD in most polls.
The far-right Alternative for Germany is also slightly ahead of Scholz's party, with the Greens in fourth place.
The main parties do not want to govern the country together with the AfD.
At the same time, its presence in parliament increases the likelihood of the formation of unwieldy coalitions.
