The German government denied on Friday a report in Der Spiegel magazine that Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was planning to sack Finance Minister Hans Eichel and replace him with bank executive Ingrid Matthaeus-Maier.
"There are no plans for a cabinet reshuffle," government spokesman Thomas Steg said of the report released ahead of the magazine's publication at the weekend. "The entire notion is a media fabrication."
Matthaeus-Maier, a board member of the KfW development bank, was a former finance policy expert for the Social Democrats in parliament. A spokesman for the bank also rejected the report.
"Frau Matthaeus-Maier is happy to be here and would like to remain here," said a spokesman for the KfW bank.
Der Spiegel reported that Schroeder had reached a decision with his chief of staff Frank-Walter Steinmeier to replace both Eichel and Health Minister Ulla Schmidt - two of the most unpopular ministers - within the next few months.
The magazine said Hubertus Schmoldt, head of the mining and chemical workers union, would replace Schmidt.
"It's complete nonsense," said Schmoldt's spokesman.
It said the changes could be made either before European parliament elections on June 13 or immediately after the September 26 local election in Germany's biggest state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
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