German Chancellor Olaf Scholz fires Finance Minister Christian Lindner | Wilnesh News

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced on Wednesday that he had fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner, ending Germany’s ruling coalition after months of political wrangling and raising the possibility of snap elections in March.

The three-year-old coalition between Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and Lindner’s Free Democrats (FDP) has been unstable for some time, with differing budget and economic policy positions leading to tensions and conflicts.

Scholz launched into a tirade against Lindner at a news conference Wednesday night, saying he was not concerned with serving the public interest and that he was fired to prevent harm to the country. Scholz said he would call for a no-confidence vote in parliament on January 15, raising the possibility of early elections in March.

“Anyone who joins the government must act responsibly and reliably, and they must not seek asylum when things get difficult,” Scholz told a news conference, according to Reuters. “They must be willing to fight for all. Compromising the interests of citizens… But that is precisely not what Christian Lindner is focusing on now, he is focused on his clients.”

Both the FDP and Greens confirmed late on Wednesday that Lindner’s departure would spell the end of Berlin’s fractious coalition, although the latter said it would stay on.

The situation would have been Speculation about a possible collapse has heightened in recent weeks and earlier this week. It follows a series of moves by all three parties, including a paper by Lindner from the FDP outlining his vision to revive Germany’s economy – but most importantly, his fundamental stance against the SPD and Greens .