Germany names new economic minister

BERLIN, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Germany named a new head of its Economic Ministry Monday after Michael Glos abruptly resigned eight months before a general election.

Glos has been at odds with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, pushing for tax cuts to jump start the German economy, although Merkel has repeatedly rejected that option. Glos has also been reluctant to push for an economic stimulus package, Deutsche Welle reported Monday.

He said Sunday night he would resign.

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg will take his place Tuesday, the newspaper said. At the age of 37, Guttenberg would be the youngest German economics minister since in the postwar era.

The new minister will be charged with steering Europe's largest economy back to higher ground. The German economy fell into a recession at the end of 2008.

Guttenberg was elected a member of German parliament in 2002. He is the general-secretary of the Christian Socialist Union, which is related to Merkel's Christian Democratic Union.

German President Horst Koehler, formerly the head of the International Monetary Fund, said he would endorse Guttenberg's nomination Tuesday, the newspaper said.