Finance Minister Christian Lindner has triggered a fresh dispute that observers agree is pushing the center-left coalition government to the brink of collapse. Lindner, who is chairman of the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) has written an 18-page paper with proposals for "an economic turnaround with a partly fundamental revision of key political decisions" — by slashing taxes for companies, rolling back climate regulations, and reducing welfare benefits. Such proposals are unreconcilable with the proposals of his coalition partners, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left Social Democrats (SPD) and environmentalist Greens and seen as a provocation. There has been sharp criticism of Lindner's initiative.

Lindner speaks of an indiscretion, claiming the paper was not intended for publication.

The discussion is coming to a head one week before the budget for 2025 is scheduled to be presented. The conservative opposition is again calling for early elections.

The next general election is scheduled for September 2025. General elections are held in Germany every four years.

However, early elections can be conducted during political crises when the head of government, the chancellor, has lost his or her support in parliament.

Early elections have been extremely rare in Germany, but they are a vital democratic measure. They are regulated by the German constitution and require the approval of several constitutional bodies, not least of the head of state, the President.

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According to the German constitution, a decision to hold early federal elections cannot be made by the members of the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, nor by the........

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