The CDU/CSU bloc and the Social Democrats (SPD), who are running neck-and-neck in the federal election, may face an alliance of second-tier parties that have already emerged as kingmakers.
"It would be reasonable for the parties that ran in the election race against the status quo of the Grand Coalition — the Greens and the FDP — to first talk to each other," Lindner said during a broadcast.
The two parties have been junior coalition partners of conservatives and the center-left. Coalitions involving the conservatives, Greens and liberals — the "Jamaica" coalition — and the SPD, liberals and Greens — the "Traffic Light" coalition — are both statistically possible.
Both CDU leader Armin Laschet and SPD leader Olaf Scholz said a three-way coalition was the likeliest outcome, apparently ruling out a new Grand Coalition of their two parties. Laschet said he preferred an alliance of centrist parties.
AfD Content With German Federal Vote Result - Leader
Tino Chrupalla, a co-leader of the hard-right Alternative for Germany party, said he was content with how they fared in this Sunday's federal election.
The AfD appears set to win between 10.5% and 11% of the vote. It comes fifth after the conservatives, the center-left, the greens and the liberals.
"It is a stable result for us. We would of course prefer it to be 1-2% higher ... But all in all, we are content," Chrupalla told Sputnik.
The conservative CDU / CSU bloc is running evenly with the Social Democrats (SPD) at around 25% apiece. The AfD entered the parliament for the first time in 2017 but has lost standing in recent years.