Germany's Scholz loses a confidence vote, triggering new elections

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has lost a vote of confidence in the German parliament. It is the outcome Scholz had hoped for when he called for the confidence vote last week, analysts say. His aim: to lose this vote now, win fresh elections and come back stronger next time.

"Politics is not a game," Scholz told members of the parliament, the Bundestag, ahead of Monday's vote. As a result of the confidence motion's defeat, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will dissolve the parliament and call for new elections in late February.

In the Bundestag, 394 members voted no, 207 voted yes and 116 abstained. For the vote of confidence to have been successful, it would have required 367 yes votes.