Germany: Scholz fires Finance Minister Lindner, coalition in crisis. Habeck: vote in spring

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has sacked Finance Minister Christian Linder. The tear came at the end of a day of high tension. 'Lindner did not want to serve the common good but his clientele and his party,' Scholz told a press conference in the evening. The decision, he added, was taken to 'avoid damage to our country'. 'Too many times Lindner has betrayed my trust,' he said, while 'after the US elections we need to prove that we are trustworthy'.

Scholz intends to seek a vote of confidence in parliament in mid-January. 'I will talk to the leader of the Cdu Merz,' he added, 'The economy cannot wait for elections. An early vote in March seems the most likely option at the moment.

Social Democrats, Liberals (Fdp) and Greens met on Wednesday evening for a last attempt to reach an understanding and avoid the collapse of the coalition that has led the country for three years.

Fdp Finance Minister and Economy Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) arrived at Chancellor Scholz's office to seek an agreement on how to close a multi-billion euro hole in the budget and presented a document with new economic policy guidelines. According to the Bild newspaper, Lindner proposed to return to the vote at the beginning of 2025 if the allied parties did not accept the document.

Should the talks fail, as is now evident after Lindner's dismissal, the coalition could collapse, plunging Europe's largest economy into uncertainty just as Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House after his clear victory in Tuesday's presidential election.