German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (L) walks up the stairs of the presidential Bellevue Palace in Berlin to meet the German President and ask him to dissolve the parliament after the vote of no-confidence at the Bundestag, on December 16, 2024. German lawmakers on December 16, 2024 ended the reign of centre-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a vote of no confidence, setting Europe's biggest economy on the path to early elections on February 23. (Photo by Annegret Hilse / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ANNEGRET HILSE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)