German gov't nominates Wulff as next president

BERLIN -- Germany's government on Thursday nominated the 50-year-old governor of Lower Saxony for the nation's presidency, days after the previous head of state's suprise resignation.

Chancellor Angela Merkel tapped Christian Wulff as her party's candidate to replace President Horst Koehler, who stepped down Monday after appearing to link military deployments abroad with the country's economic interests.

"I'm happy that he is willing to go this way with the people during these difficult times, during a big global financial crisis, when the future of Europe is at stake," Merkel said. - German gov't nominates Wulff as next president

Analysis: Erdogan tests Turkey's role as bridge