The leader of Germany's conservative CSU party in the state of Bavaria, Markus Söder, is calling for early national parliamentary elections as soon as possible, following the drubbing taken by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's centre-left coalition in the European election.
"This government is basically finished. And it must now be like France: There have been demands for new elections, there are new elections by Macron," Söder, who is also Bavaria's state premier, told the broadcaster n-tv on Monday morning.
"Our country needs a fresh start," he said. "That's why there should be new elections as soon as possible."
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the dissolution of the National Assembly following the resounding defeat of his party on Sunday evening by the far right.
Elections in two rounds are to be held on June 30 and July 7 before the start of the Olympic Games in Paris.