Germany's Bavarian Prime Minister Edmund Stoiber may not join the planned German cabinet as economics minister in response to the resignation of Social Democratic Party (SPD) chairman Franz Muentefering, Die Welt newspaper said Tuesday.

Stoiber regards the departure of Muentefering as totally changing the policies of the SPD, which is negotiating a grand coalition with chancellor-designate Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said the newspaper.

The report was not confirmed by Stoiber's CSU, Bavarian sister party of the CDU, but media here quoted officials as saying that Muentefering's resignation could mean the basis for Stoiber's participation in the cabinet shifted.

Arch-conservative Stoiber was likely to be concerned that without centrist Muentefering leading the SPD, the party will shift to the left.

Muentefering announced Monday that he would resign after SPD executive committee defied him by electing leading party leftist Andrea Nahles instead of SPD election campaign strategist Kajo Wasserhoevel as secretary-general.

"Under these conditions I cannot remain party chairman," said Muentefering at an urgent news briefing.

Muentefering said he would continue to head the SPD delegation at grand coalition talks with Merkel's CDU/CSU alliance, but would not seek reelection at a party congress in November.

Source: Xinhua