German chancellor’s last remaining coalition ally makes his move before expected early election

BERLIN (AP) — German Eonomy Minister Robert Habeck says he hopes to become his Green Party’s candidate for chancellor in the coming election. The announcement Friday by Habeck follows the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition earlier this week. The Greens are a small party that lost popularity in recent elections and currently have support hovering around 10%. It’s therefore unlikely that Habeck could end up as the country’s leader. But his move indicates how German politicians are gearing up for an early election after the collapse of the coalition. Scholz on Friday also indicated he could show flexibility on the date for a new election as he faces pressure for it to happen soon.