Scholz willing to hold German confidence vote before Christmas

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said that he would be willing to call a vote of confidence in Parliament before Christmas, a move that would pave the way for snap elections following the collapse of his three-way governing coalition.

The timing is earlier than the January date he had proposed last week and follows increasing pressure from politicians and the public for a quicker vote.

Europe's largest economy was thrown into disarray last week with the collapse of Mr Scholz's coalition and disagreements over how much money the government should spend to encourage growth and support Ukraine.

"I'm not clinging to my job," he said in an interview on ARD television on Nov 10.