German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Wednesday night that he had fired the finance minister, leading to the collapse of his three-party coalition government. During a news conference, Scholz announced Finance Minister Christian Lindner’s removal from the three-party coalition government, adding that he was “forced to take this step to avert damage to our country.” He accused Lindner, of the Free Democratic Party, of refusing to negotiate on the government budget needed to jumpstart the stalling economy. “Too often, Federal Minister Lindner has stalled legislation for unconnected reasons. Too often, he has used narrow-minded, political techniques. “He has repeatedly broken my trust,” Scholz stated.

“He even abruptly withdrew the budget deal after we had achieved an agreement following extensive negotiations. There is no foundation of trust for future collaboration. Serious government work is impossible under these circumstances.

He stated that he supplied Scholz with a budget that aimed to restrict energy costs, secure automotive industry jobs, and raise support for Ukraine, but Lindner refused to adopt it. “I am no longer willing to subject our country to such behaviour,” he told the crowd. Lindner responded in a statement, claiming that the FDP gave economic solutions that Scholz declined to discuss.

“Olaf Scholz has long ignored the necessity for a fresh start for our country’s economy. “He has long dismissed citizens’ economic concerns,” he stated. “His carefully crafted statement from this evening makes it evident that Olaf Scholz was no longer looking for a long-term agreement for all, but rather for a premeditated breach with this coalition. This is leading Germany into a period of instability.” Following Scholz’s announcement, the FDP withdrew from the coalition government, effectively terminating the three-part coalition

Scholz told the public in his press conference that he intends to seek to schedule a confidence vote on Jan. 15, giving the federal Bundestag Parliament time to decide on clearing the way for early elections, which he said could take place as early as the end of March