Berlin: The German government has proposed holding the country's general election on Sept 22.
A spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that the date has been formally submitted to President Joachim Gauck. His approval is considered a formality.
Merkel will be seeking a third term as chancellor of Europe's biggest economy.
Recent polls put Merkel's center-right coalition slightly ahead of the main opposition bloc of Social Democrats and Greens.
But despite Merkel's personal popularity among voters, observers say she may have to enter into a "grand coalition" with the Social Democrats if her current junior partners of the pro-business Free Democrats fail to make the 5 percent threshold needed to enter Parliament.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, February 06, 2013, 21:55