About two thirds of German voters want snap elections as soon as possible after this week鈥檚 collapse of chancellor Olaf Scholz鈥檚 ruling coalition, a poll showed on Friday.
Europe鈥檚 biggest economy was hurled into political turmoil when Scholz鈥檚 three-party alliance imploded after months of infighting on Wednesday, the day Donald Trump won the United States presidential election.
Centre-left leader Scholz has vowed to cling on in a minority government for now, and to ask for a confidence vote in mid-January that is likely to lead to snap elections in March.
But the conservative opposition CDU and all other major parties have demanded Scholz immediately pave the way for new elections 鈥� a position shared by a majority of the electorate, according to a poll published Friday.
Some 65 per cent of German voters are in favour of prompt new elections, while just 33 per cent support Scholz鈥檚 timeline, according to the survey for public broadcaster ARD.
Germany鈥檚 motley coalition between the Social Democrats, the left-leaning Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats had become deeply unpopular in the run-up to the crash after months of bitter infighting.
Around 59 per cent of respondents to the poll said they were happy about the end of the so-called 鈥榯raffic light鈥� coalition, named for the colours of the three parties.
The popular Bild daily on Friday called for Scholz to 鈥榗lear the way鈥� for a new government.
鈥榊ou, Mr Scholz, have tried and failed,鈥� Bild editor Marion Horn wrote. 鈥楲et us voters reassign the mandate of power as quickly as possible.鈥�
The crisis, centred on discord over economic and fiscal policy, came to a head when Scholz sacked his rebellious finance minister Christian Lindner from the FDP, ousting the smallest party from the coalition.
The move leaves the SPD and the Greens ruling in a precarious minority government at a time when Germany is facing multiple domestic and international crises.
Scholz is counting on the support of the conservative opposition CDU-CSU alliance to help pass a flurry of laws through parliament before Christmas.
But CDU leader Friedrich Merz has said there will be no support unless Scholz calls an immediate confidence vote to pave the way for elections as early as January.
Merz hopes to become Germany鈥檚 next chancellor, and polls make him the current frontrunner.
The CDU leader said that a half-hour meeting he held with Scholz on Thursday had ended with them 鈥榩arting in disagreement鈥�.
He argued in a video message on social media platform X that Germany needs a new government that can speak 鈥榳ith authority and a parliamentary majority鈥� within the European Union and with the new US administration when Trump is inaugurated on January 20.
Scholz, who was at an EU summit in Budapest on Friday, avoided any comment on the political crisis when he gave brief comments to the media.
Other parties meanwhile were already switching into campaign mode, with Der Spiegel magazine reporting that Robert Habeck of the Greens was planning to run to be chancellor.
Habeck, who is vice chancellor and economy minister under Scholz, also made a surprise return to X on Thursday after a break of several years.
鈥楤ack for good,鈥� the Greens co-leader posted on the platform.
Eagle-eyed observers noted he was wearing a bracelet inscribed with the words 鈥楰anzler Era鈥�, using the German word for chancellor.
Lindner said on Thursday in an interview with the public broadcaster ZDF that he wanted to be finance minister again in the next government.