Von der Leyen to resign as German defense minister

Nominee for Commission president says she would quit her post in the German Cabinet whether or not MEPs confirm her Tuesday.

Ursula von der Leyen announced Monday that she will resign as German defense minister regardless of whether MEPs vote to confirm her as European Commission president on Tuesday.

“Tomorrow I will ask for the confidence of the European Parliament. Regardless of the outcome, I will step down as Minister of Defense on Wednesday in order to serve Europe with all my strength,” she wrote on Twitter.

“I am deeply grateful for the years I shared with the Bundeswehr,” she added.

Von der Leyen is the longest-serving member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Cabinet. She was nominated for the post of Commission president by EU leaders as a compromise candidate following a marathon summit earlier this month.

Merkel welcomed von der Leyen’s announcement, saying it shows she had “simply decided on a new stage in her life.”

“I’m glad. That is how I know her,” Merkel told reporters. “Everything else, we will see.”

The Parliament is set to vote on whether to confirm von der Leyen at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

Judith Mischke contributed reporting.