German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder speaks during a press conference at the chancellery in Berlin on Thursday, July 21, 2005, after German President Horst Koehler announced his decision on whether to endorse Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's early election plan. (Photo: Yahoo)

Leader of the German opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Angela Merkel gives a statement after hearing the speech of German President Horst Koehler.(Photo: Yahoo)

    BERLIN, July 21 (Xinhuanet) -- German President Horst Koehler decided to dissolve the parliament and hold early general elections on Sept. 18 in a television address to the nation Thursday evening.

    "I have dissolved today the 15th German lower house of parliament (Bundestag) and set the new elections for Sept. 18," Koehler said.

    "I'm convinced that the constitutional preconditions are given to dissolve the lower house of parliament," he said.

    Koehler said the loss of the confidence vote in parliament on July 1 showed clearly that Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder "see no steady and reliable basis for his policy."

    Koehler's decision came not surprisingly since all German parties and most Germans have shown their support for early general elections.

    However, some members of parliament have claimed to bring a legal case to the Federal Constitutional Court against dissolution of the parliament.

    On July 1, Schroeder deliberately lost a confidence vote in Bundestag and asked Koehler to call early general elections.

    Recent opinion polls put Schroeder's Social Democratic Party some 17 points behind the main opposition Christian Democratic Union. Enditem