German voters fend off far-right in latest state vote, early results suggest
NBCOct 05, 2024
Friedrich Merz, leader of Germany's opposition Christian Democratic Union party, on Thursday called for snap elections a day after Chancellor Olaf Scholz sacked the head of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and Finance Minister Christian Lindner.
On Wednesday, Scholz said Lindner had "broken my trust too often" and shown "no willingness to implement the offer for the good of our country." Meanwhile, Lindner accused Scholz of playing down "the economic concerns of the citizens."
Hours after Lindner's sacking, the FDP ejected from the three-way ruling coalition. Scholz now heads a minority government with the Greens, while Jörg Kukies has been appointed as Germany's new finance minister.
Scholz would have liked to have spared Germans this difficult situation, but he was compelled to sack Lindner to prevent damage to the country. Given the surge in support for fringe parties in recent regional polls, an early election would throw Europe's largest economy into a prolonged period of uncertainty.