BERLIN — German opposition parties and business groups on Thursday urged Chancellor Olaf Scholz to trigger a new election quickly to minimize political uncertainty after his rocky three-way coalition collapsed. The government coalition fell apart on ...

Germany's main opposition leader Friedrich Merz criticised Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday as "irresponsible" for delaying early elections, as an opinion poll also showed voters in favour of an early vote to pull the country out of political crisis.

German Chancellor Scholz is facing pressure to hold a confidence vote after he fired his minister of finance this week and faces a collapsing government that no longer holds a majority in parliament.