Germany's Merkel Names Von Der Leyen As Labor Min In Reshuffle
BERLIN -(Dow Jones)- Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel Friday announced a
reshuffle of her cabinet, which has been in power just four weeks, naming Ursula
von der Leyen to become Germany's new labor minister.
Von der Leyen, who was family minister, will be succeeded by Kristina Koehler,
a lawmaker in the lower house of parliament for Merkel's Christian Democratic
Union.
The move comes after German labor minister Franz Josef Jung Friday resigned
following revelations about his handling of information about an air strike in
Afghanistan in which an estimated 30 to 40 civilians were killed.
The labor portfolio is a crucial post in the government and oversees half of
the government's budget. The new minister faces big challenges linked to the
expected rise in unemployment caused by the economic crisis.
-By Andrea Thomas, Dow Jones Newswires; +49 30 288 84126; andrea.thomas@
dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
11-27-091128ET
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