BERLIN, Aug. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- Germany's Constitutional Court saidon Thursday that a ruling is expected in two weeks on whether Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's plan to hold early elections is constitutional.

    A court spokesperson in Karlsruhe confirmed that the court's decision on the constitutionality of Schroeder's actions regarding the elections will be announced on Aug. 22 at the earliest.

    The core issue under deliberation is whether Schroeder's act to call his own party members to abstain from voting on July 1 inorder to lose the vote of confidence on his government to pave the way for an early poll was in line with the constitutional law.     

    The Karlsruhe-based court had earlier heard oral arguments from two parliamentarians, Werner Schulz of the Green party and Jelena Hoffmann of the Social Democratic Party.

    Both consider President Horst Koehler's decision on July 21 todissolve the parliament and approve early elections on Sept. 18 unconstitutional.

    They argued that early elections can take place only if the chancellor, who still enjoys a slim majority in the Bundestag, canno longer rely on his coalition for support. Enditem