German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote in parliament on December 16. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is expected to dissolve parliament, allowing new elections on February 23. But there might be some surprises.

Elections originally were scheduled for September. After Scholz lost the support of one of his coalition partners, the Free Democrats (fdp), he hoped to hold new elections in March but was forced to do it earlier. Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote in “After Trump’s Victory, Watch Germany”:

Many Germans wanted new elections as soon as possible. As a compromise, Scholz moved them forward to February 23.

Yet even these elections seem unlikely to solve Germany’s leadership crisis. Polls suggest they will only produce another weak, divided government.

There is a big leadership vacuum. Germans know something dramatic must be done, and quickly! You see this in recent election results with the rise of fringe parties like the Alternative für Deutschland. Voters are showing themselves willing to embrace out-of-the-ordinary politics. They are clamoring for a strong leader! …

I believe these recent events will lead to the installation of a strong leader very soon.

Right now, the ordinary process doesn’t look promising.

Once Scholz lost the vote, President Steinmeier has 21 days to dissolve parliament. When parliament is dissolved, new elections have to take place within 60 days. Based on those timelines, Steinmeier is expected to make a decision on December 27 at the earliest.

If everything goes according to plan, Scholz will remain chancellor until a new one is found. This could take a long time, as current polls indicate traditional coalitions may fall short of a majority.

But out-of-the-ordinary scenarios are still possible.

Steinmeier could decide against dissolving parliament and close the door on early elections. While unlikely, he may decide Germany cannot afford election campaigns with an uncertain outcome due to current geopolitical challenges.

If Steinmeier does not dissolve parliament, Scholz could continue as chancellor until the regular election in September. But since he already lost his majority in parliament, he would be a lame duck.

However, parliament could oust Scholz and appoint a new chancellor right away without new elections. The Bundestag website explains:

Furthermore, it is only possible for the federal chancellor to be voted out of office by parliament—by means of what is known as a constructive vote of no confidence. At the same time, it must elect a successor by the majority of its members, requesting that the federal president dismiss the current federal chancellor and appoint the newly elected candidate. The federal president must comply with this request.

Scholz already lost the confidence of parliament, but they have yet to agree on a replacement. The most likely man to win a majority is Friedrich Merz, who wants to run in the next election for the Christian Democratic Union (cdu) and Christian Social Union (csu).

Germany is in a unique situation to do this. In the last election in 2021, the Social Democrats (spd) barely beat the cdu and csu—25.7 percent to 24.2 percent. This meant they could form a coalition government, either with each other or two junior partners. The spd under Scholz formed a government with the Greens and fdp. Now that it failed, Merz could give it a go, even though he didn’t run as a chancellor candidate in the last election.

Just days after the collapse of the coalition in early November, German broadcasting network ard asked Merz about this option. “From today’s perspective, that is not an option,” Merz said. “I don’t know what will happen in four weeks’ time.”

The Deutschland-Kurier, affiliated with the right-wing Alternative für Deutschland, reported:

The capital is buzzing with rumors.

Behind the scenes in the capital, there is speculation about a possible constitutional coup by the Union Chancellor candidate. It could look like this:

A “Taurus” warmongering coalition of the cdu and csu, “Greens” and fdp elects Friedrich Merz (cdu) as head of government before the planned new elections. Article 67 of the Basic Law (“constructive” vote of no confidence) provides the means to do so.

Justification: Germany needs a government capable of acting immediately after the inauguration of the new United States President Donald Trump (January 20)!

These rumors may very well be over dramatized. But given the precarious situation Germany is in, anything could happen. As Mr. Flurry wrote:

We really need to watch! I think this is about to fulfill a prophecy we have been discussing for nearly a century—ever since the late Herbert W. Armstrong began writing and broadcasting in the early 1930s! …

Prophecies throughout the Bible warn that a European strongman will appear soon.

Mr. Flurry explained that the book of Daniel is for our day. Daniel 11:21 reads, “And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.” This indicates a leader will come to power in an out-of-the ordinary way. Mr. Flurry commented:

How could this happen in the sophisticated nations of Europe?

In a 2009 Key of David program, I said this leader could perhaps “take advantage of a weak coalition.” Well, that is exactly what Germany is facing.

Back in 2002, I also said he would take power dishonorably—not by a vote but through a backdoor process, using his charm and appearing to be an “angel of light.” We saw something similar with the way Kamala Harris was selected as the Democratic nominee for president. There was no Democratic Party primary, no normal process of voting. Could Germany’s drawn-out election cycle and weak coalition lead to something similar? There is already great urgency for a strong leader. In a crisis, Germany’s elites may decide there is no time to appoint someone democratically—they could step in and select a leader quickly. But this man will hijack the whole alliance, and it will turn out very differently from what a lot of people want it to be.

Germany’s elite could skip the next election and decide that “there is no time to appoint someone democratically.” But as Mr. Flurry pointed out, this will not solve Europe’s leadership problem. Someone will have to take charge of the whole European alliance. These prophecies are explained in detail in “After Trump’s Victory, Watch Germany.”