The leader of Germany’s Social Democrats, the junior partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition, announced on Sunday that she was resigning, raising fresh questions about the stability of the government after a weak showing by the governing parties in the elections for the European Parliament. The Social Democrats’ leader, Andrea Nahles, was elected in April 2018, bringing hope of reuniting the center-left party that was bleeding support and had suffered its worst showing in 155 years in the 2017 general election. But after more than a year under her leadership, the Social Democrats’ popularity has plunged further, earning only 15.8 percent support nationwide during the balloting for the European Parliament a week ago. Ms. Nahles said in a statement sent to party members on Sunday that, “The discussions within the parliamentary faction and feedback from within the party have shown me that I no longer have the necessary support to carry out my duties.”

Source: New York Times June 02, 2019 08:41 UTC