confidence vote, Schroeder will formally request that early elections be called by German Federal President Horst Koehler given that the Bundestag cannot dissolve itself without the head of state's green light. Koehler has 21 days to make his decision. If he approves, new elections must then be held within 60 days. But legal experts are divided on whether Schroeder should be able to essentially rig a vote of no-confidence to get new elections. This was done in 1982 by Helmut Kohl, but Germany's highest court has set tough restrictions on such moves and demands a real situation of political instability. Koehler could reject new elections on legal grounds even though most observers do not expect such a move given that all major parties want an early vote. A more difficult hurdle could be posed by lawsuits planned by smaller parties which oppose early elections because they say their resources are too small to allow them to mount a campaign swiftly enough. Thus the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe will likely have the final say, meaning that a decision on the election sought by Schroeder for September 18 may not come until late August.
