Berlin: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner, leaving the government on the verge of collapse. Scholz said he would call a vote of confidence in his government early next year. According to a BBC report, the Chancellor said he didn’t have any trust in Linder, who leads a rival party that is a part of the ruling “traffic light” coalition government that includes Scholz of the Social Democratic Party, Lindner of the Free Democratic Party, and Robert Habeck of the Green Party.
Internal tensions had been brewing for weeks before it exploded into the open this week. Scholz said that Linder had betrayed his confidence and put the interests of his party over those of the country, the BBC reported. The announcement comes amid fears that the incoming Donald Trump administration in the US could further strain Germany's already ailing economy. The country faces its second year without economic growth.
Meanwhile, Lindner’s Free Democratic Party said it had left the coalition but Habeck said the Greens would remain. Scholz said he would now call a confidence vote for January 15, which could allow elections to be held by the end of March next year, a CNN report said. The coalition government led by the chancellor has governed Germany since 2021.
Scholz said that he would remain in office until January 15, and try to push through important legislation, indicating his plans to work with opposition leader Friedrich Merz’ of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) on economic and defense plans, CNN stated.
