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The German lower house of parliament will hold a vote of confidence in the government of German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder July 1.  (AFP photo)

¡¡BEIJING, May 24 -- The German lower house of parliament will hold a vote of confidence in the government of German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder July 1.     

    The official announcement of the procedure came after a meeting between Schroeder and Koehler in Berlin.

    Schroeder's Social Democrats suffered a historic defeat in regional elections in North Rhine-Westphalia on Sunday, prompting the chancellor to take a gamble and call for an early national vote a year ahead of schedule.

    A poll of 983 people Monday indicated that 80 percent of Germans thought Schroeder had done the right thing by calling for an early election.

    (Source: CRIENGLISH.com)