A senior German conservative said on Monday that Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble would make an “ideal” president of parliament, raising the possibility of a change of roles for a man long associated with unflinching austerity in the euro zone.
BERLIN (Reuters) – A senior German conservative said on Monday that Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble would make an &ldquo-ideal&rdquo- president of parliament, raising the possibility of a change of roles for a man long associated with unflinching austerity in the euro zone.
Schaeuble has controlled Germany&rsquo-s powerful finance ministry since 2009 but the outcome of Sunday&rsquo-s federal elections has raised doubts over whether he can hold onto the job.
Chancellor Angela Merkel&rsquo-s conservatives remain the largest bloc in the lower house Bundestag and are expected to seek a coalition with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and Greens. The FDP has signaled it would like the finance ministry.
&ldquo-If Chancellor Angela Merkel and Schaeuble agree, he would make an ideal candidate for the post of Bundestag president,&rdquo- Guenther Oettinger, the European Union&rsquo-s budget commissioner, told the Stuttgarter Zeitung newspaper.
Schaeuble, who has refused to discuss his future after the election, is a hate figure in Greece and other parts of southern Europe for his insistence on tax hikes and spending cuts at a time of deep economic recession in return for euro zone bailout loans.
But Schaeuble, 75, is widely respected in Germany as a responsible steward of the nation&rsquo-s finances and has enjoyed Merkel&rsquo-s strong support during the euro zone debt crisis that almost tore the single currency bloc apart.
The current president of the Bundestag, Norbert Lammert of Merkel&rsquo-s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), is not up for reelection. Under separation of power rules the Bundestag president cannot simultaneously hold a ministerial post.
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