German opposition leader Friedrich Merz has called for snap elections as early as January following the collapse of Olaf Scholz’s government, as he warned that the country could not risk a long period of political uncertainty.
Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union, was speaking hours after Scholz broke up the governing coalition by sacking his finance minister, Christian Lindner, a move that marked the climax of a long-running row over economic policy.
Officials announced on Thursday that Lindner would be succeeded by Jörg Kukies, a former Goldman Sachs banker who has been one of Scholz’s closest advisers for the past six years.
Announcing the dismissal of Lindner late on Wednesday, Scholz said he would table a confidence vote in the Bundestag on January 15, which would pave the way for early elections in March.