The fragile three-way coalition in the Bundestag has shattered. Olaf Scholz, the chancellor, has lost a vote of confidence and Germany is hurtling towards a snap federal election on Feb 23 – more than six months ahead of schedule.

So who is tipped to come out on top?

Back in November, a bitter dispute over how to balance the budget for 2025 ended in Mr Scholz dismissing Christian Lindner, his finance minister, and the head of the Free Democrats (FDP).

This sparked the collapse of the centre-Left “traffic-light” alliance between Mr Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), FDP and the Greens after three unsteady years in power.