[CNN] Germany’s governing coalition has collapsed after disagreements over the country’s weak economy led Chancellor Olaf Scholz to sack his finance minister.
Christian Lindner’s dismissal prompted him to withdraw his Free Democrats Party (FDP) from a coalition with Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), leaving Scholz in a minority government with the Green Party.
Scholz said he would now call a confidence vote for January 15, which, if he lost, could allow elections to be held by the end of March next year – six months earlier than the elections planned for September 2025.
Germany now faces turmoil at a time of broader uncertainty. The political crisis was triggered just hours after it was announced former US President Donald Trump will get a second term – an election outcome that could bring further woes to Germany’s economy as well as threaten Europe’s united front on key issues. Here’s what we know. |