Germany’s leader expected to lead country with minority government after coalition collapse

After German Chancellor Olaf Scholz dramatically fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the pro-business Free Democrats in a late-night move after a marathon of crisis meetings, the three remaining ministers of the Free Democrats also resigned later at night effectively leading to the government coalition’s collapse.

However, in another unexpected turn of events, Transport Minister Volker Wissing from the Free Democrats took back Wednesday’s resignation and told reporters yesterday in Berlin that after talking to Scholz, he had decided to stay on as minister and leave the party instead.

Lindner will receive his certificate of dismissal from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier yesterday afternoon and, to ensure a smooth transition, a successor will likely be named right after. The posts of the research and justice ministers who resigned may also be filled Thursday, German news agency dpa reported.

Scholz announced recently that he would seek a vote of confidence on Jan. 15 that he said might lead to an early election as soon as March — which otherwise would have been be due next September.