BERLIN 

Germany's largest opposition bloc has called for early elections in January following the sudden collapse of the country's coalition government.


Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said on Thursday that Chancellor Olaf Scholz should immediately seek a vote of confidence in parliament after his coalition fell apart.


“The parliamentary group of the CDU/CSU has unanimously decided to ask the chancellor to call for a vote of confidence immediately, at the beginning of the next week at the latest,” Merz told reporters.


"We can hold federal elections in the second half of January next year. We believe there is enough time for this; the preparatory work in all parties is sufficient," he added.


The left-liberal coalition government led by Scholz collapsed Wednesday evening amid escalating tensions with the coalition's junior partner, the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), over economic and finance policy.


Scholz removed liberal Finance Minister Christian Lindner from his Cabinet, accusing him of being "untrustworthy" and using "petty political tactics" to block efforts at reaching a compromise among coalition partners.


Following Lindner's dismissal, all the FDP ministers except Digital and Transport Minister Volker Wissing were withdrawn from the Cabinet. Wissing subsequently announced his resignation from the party.


Germany's three-way coalition between the Social Democrats, the Greens, and the FDP had long been grappling with internal tensions due to disagreements over the budget, welfare programs, ambitious climate goals, and the contentious issue of new debt to finance investments.


On Wednesday night, Scholz announced he would seek a vote of confidence in January, potentially paving the way for early elections by March at the latest.


"In the very first week of the parliamentary session in the new year, I will put forward the vote of confidence so that the Bundestag can vote on it on Jan. 15," Scholz stated.

"This will allow members of the Bundestag to decide whether to clear the way for early elections. These elections could then take place by the end of March at the latest."