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 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 February.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote in parliament on Monday, paving the way for early elections on February 23 that could end his time at the helm of Europe's biggest economy and return the conservatives to power.