Germany’s new finance minister has dismissed fears that political unrest in Berlin could trigger a funding freeze, promising that the federal government will be fully capable of operating in the weeks leading up to February’s snap election.

Jörg Kukiesnamed last week after chancellor Olaf Scholz dismissed his predecessor and prematurely ended the ruling coalition, said it was still unclear whether Scholz’s minority government would succeed in securing a supplementary budget for this year and the 2025 finance plan being approved at the Parliament.