German party leader won’t run again

April 04, 2011|Associated Press

BERLIN — Germany’s foreign minister said yesterday he will not seek another term as leader of the junior party in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition amid calls for his replacement after embarrassing losses in recent state elections.

Guido Westerwelle told reporters that he would not run again to lead the probusiness Free Democratic Party at the party’s congress next month, after poor results in last weekend’s elections in two southwestern states.

Westerwelle said he would concentrate his energy on his post as foreign minister.

“It was a difficult decision, but also an easy one,’’ Westerwelle told reporters, hours after he returned from a visit to China and Japan.

Pressure had been mounting on the foreign minister, who also serves as Merkel’s deputy, after the Free Democrats saw their share of the votes halved in two state ballots last week. They were forced from the government in Baden-Wuerttemberg state and failed to make the regional Legislature in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Westerwelle has led the Free Democrats for nearly 10 years, returning them to government with a strong showing in 2009. But their continued support of nuclear energy — deeply unpopular in Germany — and failure to deliver on loudly pledged tax cuts cost them votes.