Opposition leader Friedrich Merz (R), also head of Germany's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, gives a speech during a session on November 13, 2024 at the Bundestag (lower house of parliament) in Berlin, following the breakdown of Scholz' three-party coalition. Germany is headed for snap elections on February 23, the main parties agreed on November 12, aiming to form a stable government after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition collapsed on November 6, 2024. The agreement seeks to quickly restore political stability at a time when Europe's biggest economy is set to shrink for a second year in a row and amid heightened geopolitical volatility, with wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East and president-elect Donald Trump readying to take power in the US in January 2025. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP) (Photo by TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP via Getty Images)