Germany's coalition collapses dramatically. Scholz plans to lead with a minority government

abcnews.go.com:

Germany’s leader is expected to lead the country with a minority government after the collapse of the coalition

BERLIN — Germany’s government coalition has collapsed in dramatic fashion after Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the pro-business Free Democrats in a late-night move following a marathon of crisis meetings.

The three remaining ministers of the Free Democrats resigned in response, leading to the downfall of the government coalition. Scholz is expected to lead the country with a minority government, but the opposition is calling for an immediate no-confidence vote.

But early Thursday, Transport Minister Volker Wissing from the Free Democrats unexpectedly took back last night's resignation and told reporters 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 on Thursday afternoon and, to ensure a smooth transition, a successor will likely be named right after. German news agency dpa reported that Jörg Kukies, an economic adviser to Scholz, will become the next finance minister.

The posts of the research and justice ministers who resigned may also be filled Thursday, dpa reported.

Scholz announced late Wednesday 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.

Scholz had accused Lindner of breaching his trust and publicly calling for a fundamentally different economic policy, including what the chancellor said would be tax cuts worth billions for a few top earners while at the same time cutting pensions for all retirees.

“That