German SPD Leader Quits in Blow to Merkel’s Loveless Coalition

German SPD Leader Quits in Blow to Merkel’s Loveless Coalition
Leader of Social Democratic Party (SPD) Andrea Nahles attends a news conference after Bavaria state election, in Berlin, Germany, on Oct. 15, 2018. Michele Tantussi/Reuters
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BERLIN/FRANKFURT, Germany—Andrea Nahles said on June 2 she would resign as leader of Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD), raising new doubts about the durability of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition with the center-left party.

Merkel’s Christian Democrats and the SPD both bled support in last week’s European elections as voters turned away from mainstream political parties, undermining a ruling coalition that already came close to falling apart last year.