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

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

Europe’s largest economy and normally a pillar of stability is facing snap elections next year after Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a vote of confidence.