Center-left nominates new speaker for German parliament

BERLIN (AP) — Center-left lawmaker Baerbel Bas is set to become the new speaker of Germany’s parliament. She would replace conservative veteran and former Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble in one of the country’s most prominent positions. Leaders of the parliamentary group of the Social Democrats, who emerged from Germany’s Sept. 26 election as the strongest party, endorsed Bas on Wednesday. That paves the way for the new 736-member lower house of parliament, or Bundestag, to elect her next week. The 53-year-old Bas has been a member of the Bundestag since 2009. German political convention holds that the speaker’s job goes to the biggest party in the Bundestag.