By Sabine Siebold
MUNICH, Germany, Feb 7 (Reuters) - The chairman of Germany's Christian Social Union on Saturday turned down the resignation of Economy Minister Michael Glos, who has been widely criticised for his low profile during the financial crisis.
In a letter to CSU Chairman Horst Seehofer, 64-year-old Glos said he did not intend to serve as a government minister after a federal election due in September and asked to be relieved of his ministerial responsibilities.
Seehofer, whinisters in the ruling coalition, said no.
'I will not agree to this request,' he told reporters in Munich, adding, 'Michael Glos has my confidence.'
Seehofer said he had spoken to Glos by telephone and would subsequently speak to him in person.
Glos declined to say anything to reporters on arrival for an evening function in Wiesbaden. He informed Chancellor Angela Merkel of the letter to Seehofer by telephone.
'As I will turn 65 this year, my lifeplanning is not consistent with belonging to a cabinet after September 28,' Glos wrote in the letter, whose contents were reported by the Bild am Sonntag newspaper and confirmed by the ministry spokesman.
Glos was a surprise choice as economy minister after the 2005 federal election, with then-CSU leader Edmund Stoiber having originally been in line for the position.
He has struggled to show the command of economics shown by his predecessor, Wolfgang Clement, including making references to deutschmarks instead of euros in speeches. He took a long trip to Asia when the financial crisis broke.
The CSU, the Bavarian sister party of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), suffered heavy losses in a state election last September and Seehofer has since taken over at the party's helm.
Glos cited those election losses as another reason for him to go, saying fresh, creative drive was needed in the party.
Relations between Glos and Seehofer had been tense in recent weeks, government sources said. The CSU leader had pressed Glos to take a more confrontational approach and stamp the Bavarian party's mark on the federal government, they added.
Last week Glos had a widely publicised run-in with a Berlin policeman, who stopped his car.
Glos has repeatedly called for tax cuts, drawing criticism from some Social Democrats, who share power with Merkel's conservatives.
'The work as minister for the economy and technology is the high point of my political life,' Glos wrote in the letter.
'Above all, it was important to me to implement effective measures during the financial and economic crisis.'
With Europe's largest economy facing the prospect of its deepest post-war recession, Merkel's government has agreed twin economic stimulus packages that it says are worth a combined 81 billion euros ($103.8 billion).
(Additional reporting by Gernot Heller; Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Louise Ireland) ($1=.7807 Euro) Keywords: GERMANY GLOS/RESIGNATION (paul.carrel@reuters.com; +49 30 2888 5210; Reuters messaging: paul.carrel.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
MUNICH, Germany, Feb 7 (Reuters) - The chairman of Germany's Christian Social Union on Saturday turned down the resignation of Economy Minister Michael Glos, who has been widely criticised for his low profile during the financial crisis.
In a letter to CSU Chairman Horst Seehofer, 64-year-old Glos said he did not intend to serve as a government minister after a federal election due in September and asked to be relieved of his ministerial responsibilities.
Seehofer, whinisters in the ruling coalition, said no.
'I will not agree to this request,' he told reporters in Munich, adding, 'Michael Glos has my confidence.'
Seehofer said he had spoken to Glos by telephone and would subsequently speak to him in person.
Glos declined to say anything to reporters on arrival for an evening function in Wiesbaden. He informed Chancellor Angela Merkel of the letter to Seehofer by telephone.
'As I will turn 65 this year, my lifeplanning is not consistent with belonging to a cabinet after September 28,' Glos wrote in the letter, whose contents were reported by the Bild am Sonntag newspaper and confirmed by the ministry spokesman.
Glos was a surprise choice as economy minister after the 2005 federal election, with then-CSU leader Edmund Stoiber having originally been in line for the position.
He has struggled to show the command of economics shown by his predecessor, Wolfgang Clement, including making references to deutschmarks instead of euros in speeches. He took a long trip to Asia when the financial crisis broke.
The CSU, the Bavarian sister party of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), suffered heavy losses in a state election last September and Seehofer has since taken over at the party's helm.
Glos cited those election losses as another reason for him to go, saying fresh, creative drive was needed in the party.
Relations between Glos and Seehofer had been tense in recent weeks, government sources said. The CSU leader had pressed Glos to take a more confrontational approach and stamp the Bavarian party's mark on the federal government, they added.
Last week Glos had a widely publicised run-in with a Berlin policeman, who stopped his car.
Glos has repeatedly called for tax cuts, drawing criticism from some Social Democrats, who share power with Merkel's conservatives.
'The work as minister for the economy and technology is the high point of my political life,' Glos wrote in the letter.
'Above all, it was important to me to implement effective measures during the financial and economic crisis.'
With Europe's largest economy facing the prospect of its deepest post-war recession, Merkel's government has agreed twin economic stimulus packages that it says are worth a combined 81 billion euros ($103.8 billion).
(Additional reporting by Gernot Heller; Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Louise Ireland) ($1=.7807 Euro) Keywords: GERMANY GLOS/RESIGNATION (paul.carrel@reuters.com; +49 30 2888 5210; Reuters messaging: paul.carrel.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.