Berlin, 6 November 2024 (dpa/MIA) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has sacked Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the pro-business Free Democrats, a government spokesman told dpa on Wednesday evening, as Germany's troubled coalition government threatened to collapse.

The move comes after days of crisis talks among Scholz's coalition of Social Democrats, the pro-business FDP and the Greens of Economy Minister Robert Habeck.

The main sticking point is how to plug a huge hole in the 2025 budget, with the parties at odds over how to address Germany's ailing economy. The opposition, meanwhile, is calling on the coalition to break apart and pave the way for early elections.

Ahead of Scholz's dismissal, Lindner had suggested that Scholz pave the way for snap parliamentary elections, since the parties could not see eye to eye on economic and financial policy issues, dpa learned from participants in the top-level coalition talks.

Germany is next due to hold elections in September 2025.

Photo: epa