Newspaper report Merkel's ally Seehofer to step down as CSU chief

The sources told Die Zeit newspaper that Merkel's decision to step down as leader of her Christian Democrats (CDU) at a party congress in December had influenced Seehofer's decision to resign as head of Bavaria's Christian Social Union

Horst Seehofer, the leader of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Bavarian sister party, will stand down from that role in the next few days but remain a federal interior minister, a German newspaper cited several sources close to him as saying.

The sources told Die Zeit newspaper that Merkel's decision to step down as leader of her Christian Democrats (CDU) at a party congress in December had influenced Seehofer's decision to resign as head of Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU) - a move he has faced pressure to make for months.

Merkel's CDU, Seehofer's CSU and the Social Democrats make up Germany's federal coalition.