Scholz dismisses finance minister amid possibility of coalition collapse
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (Getty Images)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has dismissed Finance Minister Christian Lindner, raising the possibility of a coalition breakup in the country, citing Bild and Welt.
According to reports, Scholz dismissed Lindner around 8:30 p.m., meaning the Free Democratic Party (FDP), of which the finance minister is a member, is now exiting the "traffic light" coalition. This coalition also includes the Social Democratic Party of Germany (Scholz's party) and the Greens.
Bild reports that Scholz may have preempted the FDP, as the party had planned to terminate its coalition agreement with the SPD and the Greens and to withdraw its ministers.
Notably, according to German media, at today’s crisis meeting, Lindner proposed that Scholz hold early elections for the Bundestag, but the chancellor declined this step.
Updated at 10:26 PM (Kyiv time)
According to Robin Alexander, deputy editor-in-chief of Welt, Chancellor Scholz intends to appeal to the Bundestag in January 2025 to hold a vote of confidence.
Updated at 10:33 PM (Kyive time)
In a press briefing, Scholz said that Lindner had "too often breached his trust."
Possibility of coalition breakup
Earlier, German media reported on the potential collapse of the "traffic light" coalition in Germany and the possibility of early parliamentary elections.
The reason behind this is the projected budget deficit of over €13 billion in Germany's 2025 budget, and coalition parties have been unable to reach an agreement on how to address this issue.
Incidentally, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock recently promised during her visit to Kyiv that her country would allocate €200 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
