German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday said he was prepared to negotiate over the date of a vote of confidence in his government, after the collapse of his three-party coalition. In Budapest for an informal EU summit,

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 Olaf Scholz is coming under mounting pressure to agree to an early election in January, with a new poll showing two-thirds of voters want a national ballot as soon as possible and business groups calling for an end to political turmoil.