Westerwelle Resigns Party Leadership!

Guido Westerwelle, the gay foreign minister of Germany, resigned his post as leader of the Free Democrats party following a string of election defeats that have threatened the center-right coalition of Chancellor Angela Merkel.

According to Der Spiegel, Westerwelle announced Sunday that he would step down as the leader of the business-friendly Free Democrats. On Tuesday the party selected Vietnamese-born health minister Philipp Rösler to replace him, with an official vote set for next month during the party conference.

Westerwelle also said he would step down as vice chancellor. He will retain his foreign minister post though doubts exist about his future in the role at a critical time for German diplomacy.