Jörg Kukies was appointed as Germany's new finance minister on Thursday, as pressure mounts on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to call for a confidence vote and trigger snap elections after the dissolution of his ruling coalition.

Germany’s center-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced he is firing Finance Minister Christian Lindner, which could undermine the ruling three-party coalition that relies on Lindner’s pro-business party.

Germany’s fragile government has collapsed after Olaf Scholz fired his finance minister on Wednesday evening. The Chancellor sacked Christian Lindner after days of crisis talks and amid a deluge of rumours that his turbulent coalition was about to come to an end.