The Divorce

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Germany’s ruling coalition collapsed Wednesday amid internal disputes among the three-party alliance, sparking fears of political uncertainty and paving the way for early elections months ahead of next fall’s scheduled vote, Al Jazeera reported.

The collapse followed a meeting of coalition – made up of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Green Party and the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP).

The meeting ended with Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the SPD firing his finance minister and coalition partner, Christian Lindner of the pro-business FDP after months of disputes over spending and economic reforms.

Scholz claimed that Lindner’s dismissal was due to the latter’s obstructive behavior on budget issues, accusing the FDP leader of putting his party first and blocking bills on spurious grounds.

Lindner countered that the chancellor was forcing him to break what’s known as the “Black Zero,” a constitutionally-enshrined spending limit that prevents borrowing large sums unless there is an emergency.

Scholz’s adviser Jörg Kukies will now replace Lindner, with the chancellor saying that he intends to lead a minority government with the goal of passing key bills, including the 2025 budget before the end of the year, according to Politico.

However, political observers noted that he will need the support of the conservative opposition to do this, while also facing calls to hold early elections.

Scholz plans to hold a confidence vote in January, which he is expected to lose and trigger parliamentary elections in March.

Meanwhile, Friedrich Merz, the leader of the opposition center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said the vote needs to be held “by the beginning of next week at the latest.” Merz, whose party is leading in nationwide polls, added that Germany cannot wait too long to form a new government.

Merz and Scholz met at the chancellery around noon on Thursday to discuss a possible date for the next election but ended the talks in under an hour, with Merz leaving without comment, according to the Associated Press.

The collapse of the coalition comes after years of infighting between the political partners. The union was further strained following the European Parliament elections in June that saw all three ruling parties losing support.

Last month, a national poll reported that more than 85 percent of Germans are unhappy with the alliance, the New York Times noted.

The CDU and its Bavarian sister party – the Christian Socialist Union in Bavaria – are currently leading in the polls with 32 percent of voter support, while the SPD is in third place after the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Analysts explained that an early election would allow the CDU to capitalize on its high level of support and prevent the rest of the governing coalition from improving their fortunes ahead of the polls.

Even so, they noted that parties would still need each other’s support following the early vote. The CDU has vowed not to form a coalition with the AfD, which means that it might have to rely on the SPD and Greens.

Meanwhile, there are concerns that voters will opt for populist movements, such as the anti-immigrant AfD, as many have grown disillusioned with mainstream parties amid a stagnating economy and the impact of the Ukraine war.