German government seeks to end standoff over spy chief

23/9/2018 17:53

        The leaders of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing coalition were trying to resolve a standoff over the future of the country's domestic intelligence chief and stabilize their six-month-old alliance.
        
        The center-left Social Democrats want Hans-Georg Maassen removed for appearing to downplay recent violence against migrants, but conservative Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has stood by him.
        
        Last week, coalition leaders agreed to replace Maassen as head of Germany's BfV spy agency but give him a new job as a deputy interior minister — a promotion with a hefty pay rise. The move infuriated many members of the center-left Social Democrats.
        
        Seehofer leads the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union, the government's third coalition partner.