German Chancellor Olaf Scholz fires Finance Minister Christian Lindner

Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Wednesday he had dismissed Finance Minister Christian Lindner, bringing an end to Germany’s ruling coalition after months of political wrangling and raising the possibility of snap elections in March.

The three-year-old union between Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens and Lindner’s Free Democratic Party (FDP) had been on shaky ground for some time, with differing budget and economic policy positions causing tensions and clashes.

Speaking at a press conference late Wednesday, Scholz launched a tirade against Lindner, saying he was not concerned about serving for the common good and he was dismissed to prevent harm to the country. Scholz said he would call for a vote of no confidence on Jan. 15 in parliament, raising the possibility of elections earlier than scheduled in March.

“Anyone who joins a government must act responsibly and reliably, they cannot run for cover when things get difficult,” Scholz said at the press conference, according to a Reuters translation. “They must be willing to make compromises in the interests of all citizens … But that is precisely not Christian Lindner’s focus right now, he is focused on his own clientele.”

Both the FDP and the Greens confirmed late Wednesday that Lindner’s departure would mean an end to Berlin’s fractious coalition, although the latter said it would remain in office.

The situation had been coming to a head in recent weeks, with speculation about a potential collapse ramping up earlier in the week. That came after a series of moves from the three parties, including a paper by Lindner of the FDP that outlined his vision to revive the German economy — crucially, however, by arguing against fundamental positions of the SPD and Green party.